Knights on the Blacktop Reengineered
by The-Knight2000
Summary: Rewrite. The heists have started again in California, Brian's hiding something from his team and a very different agent is sent to investigate. Are the team at it again? Can one man and one car really make a difference? Knight Rider/Fast and The Furious.
1. Chapter 1: A Shadowy Flight

_Foreword_: Ok, the story is a cross between the world of Knight Rider (including, but set between the movie back in February and the series in September), and the Fast and the Furious, but is slightly AU to both. It's also a revamp of the original story, taking out the stuff that with hindsight, I don't like, and hopefully with addition of new things. I'm also going to be trying to stay in keeping with the original Knight Rider, but set in the world of the new one. For fans of the new, that means no KR'08 style transformations. The car should always be the car, and not able to transform into a truck or a submarine. Like before, it likely starts a little slow I'm afraid, but hopefully, you'll appreciate it later. I'm also going to say thank you to Tempest Races for allowing me the use of her characters, and the back-story she developed in "She's Bonnie" and "Adrenaline" and I recommend you go read her work, because it's brilliant. I also say want to thank you to her for the character and vehicle she designed for me to use in this fic. Thank you, and I hope that you all enjoy the new version (and if this goes well, the planned sequel that explores KARR's resurrection between the original series and the new one).

_**Knights on the Blacktop**_

Prologue:

Several months after Charles Graiman's initial attempt to resurrect the Foundation is halted by the NSA's intervention, Michael Knight returns to Knight Industries at Charles' request to temper the NSA's influence and help with a new project.

Following the success of Mike Traceur's first assignments, the Government has requested a second team be activated as soon as possible. Knowing it would take over a year of development to produce another car, Graiman and Knight take their only other option.

Before the original Foundation shut down there had been a project to upgrade the original Kitt. A new body was constructed on the chassis of a WS-7 Trans-am, although it was never fully completed. Michael recruits Bonnie Barstow to help restore the 'new' car to functionality. To get the second team operational quickly, the CPU from the original prototype vehicle, KARR, which had been destroyed several years previously, is brought out of storage.

Graiman managed to successfully reprogram Karr, fixing the error in his original programming, without destroying the personality entirely, instead of developing a new AI and with Barstow's assistance installed the AI in the 'new' car.

By this time, Michael has found a young street racer in Miami, a young man who shares his surname; Knight. Although this new Knight has a troubled background, Michael sees potential in him, and recruits him to the new team. Ian Knight is initially partnered with Mike and the Knight Industries Three Thousand for training purposes. When his training is complete, Ian Knight is partnered with the operational and tested Karr, and begins to work assignments, in tandem with Mike Traceur and the Knight 3000. He is simply known as Knight to all but KITT and SSC personnel.

**************************************************

_**Chapter**_ _**1: A Shadowy Flight Into A Dangerous World…The World, Of The Knight Rider**_

Light glinted through cracks in the paint obscuring the warehouse windows. Inside, a balding man and two assistants were working at a workbench, trying to prepare the next shipment. "C'mon, hurry it up already, I want this shipment out of here by dawn. It's almost five now."

A deep bass purring noise came from outside the building, and gradually getting louder, drew their attention. As they looked in the direction of the noise, the double doors that formed the entrance splintered, giving way and shattering in all directions as a black and silver Trans-am with twin gold lights rippling back and forth under the "Ram Air" hood hurtled into the warehouse. The car's tires squealed as its back end span, smashing the table to pieces and dispersing white powder into a cloud of dust before it covered the floor.

As the 3 criminals got to their feet, a young man with short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes leaned out and trained a semi automatic weapon at them. "Alright, hold it."

The balding man looked positively ill. "Four million dollars worth of prime coke, shot to hell. And we haven't even cut it yet!"

The car's driver grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he shrugged. "Think of it as the tax laws. You can depreciate it over the next five years while you're in jail," he said, his accent vaguely English. He motioned toward the door with his gun. "Let's move outside shall we, get some fresh air while we wait."

Reluctantly, the drug dealers moved outside, the car gliding along side, its driver still leaning out the window with neither hand on the controls as the distant sirens grew louder.

**************************************************

The driver of the large tractor trailer was oblivious to the three Honda Civics approaching rapidly from the rear of his truck. Oblivious that is, until the first of the three vehicles pulled in front of him, the other two drawing level with the sides of the cab and holding position. Owing to the green glow emanating from beneath the cars, the driver knew what was going on. A couple of years earlier, a series of hijackings had taken place. They had then suddenly stopped, with no arrests being made. Recently, the heists had started again, using the same method.

His suspicions were confirmed when the sunroof of the lead car opened and a figure emerged with a harpoon gun, lining it up with the passenger side window. As he looked to his left and right, there were figures emerging from the sun roofs of those two cars as well, although the items in their hands were instantly more recognisable. The one on the driver's side of the cab was clutching an Uzi 9mm and aiming it straight at him. The one on the far side was holding another harpoon launcher.

As the truck driver watched helplessly, the figure from the lead car fired. The projectile smashed easily through the window and opened out, latching on as the car pulled forward, yanking the window out via the cord attached to the projectile. As the window smashed on the tarmac, the lead car pulled to the right, and the second car on the far side pulled in front of the truck, the first car falling back. The figure from the second fired his harpoon gun, which stuck into the passenger seat. He then attached the cord to his belt and leapt from the Civic to the truck, and hauled himself into the cab. The driver's first instinct was to fight back, but with the semi-automatic trained at him, he knew it wouldn't be a wise idea.

His new passenger levelled an air pistol at him and fired. The driver felt a dart strike his arm, and he began to feel drowsy. The cars on either side backed off as the truck started to weave back and forth across the road. Before he passed out, the driver felt his passenger pulling him out of the way, and taking his place. The hijacker struggled for a few moments before gaining control of the rig and straightening out. The cars pulled in line with the truck now under their control, and sped off into the night.

**************************************************

Knight relaxed as the car shot down the desert road, grateful for the break. His last assignment had been relatively easy, and he was satisfied with the outcome. The panel above and behind the cut off steering wheel lit up with green bars, one in the centre, and one in each corner, approximating a wave form as the car's cool, steely voice emerged "Michael's calling."

"Put him through Karr," Knight replied automatically, his hands moving to the steering wheel as the monitor lit up, "hey Michael, how's things?"

"Busy," Michael replied, his blue eyes twinkling. "Where are you?"

"In the desert, on the way home from our last assignment."

"How soon can you be back at the SSC?"

Knight shrugged. "Karr?"

"We'll get there when we get there," Karr replied coldly.

Knight shrugged, not bothered by the car's attitude. From what he'd been told before partnering with the machine, the personality was a lot friendlier than it had been previously. Although it still seemed cold and indifferent occasionally, it rarely was with him. "I need a more accurate estimate Karr."

The Trans-am was silent for a moment before answering. "A day, maybe one and a half depending on traffic. We'll need to stop for gas, and my less important systems will begin shutting down to conserve power as we travel. I need to recharge my power packs."

"I know Karr. We'll see you in two days," Michael said and the monitor went blank.

Knight raised an eyebrow. "Wonder what's going on. Michael's never usually that abrupt."

"I guess we'll find out when we arrive," the car replied, "if we arrive."

"We'll get there," Knight replied, smiling indulgently, knowing the car's sensors would pick it up. "Let's move pal."

A panel on the dashboard slid back, and he pressed the green button revealed. A small light flitted above the button and... Nothing happened. Knight pressed the button again, a system failure message appearing on the car's monitor –"Karr, what's wrong with the SPM?"

"Diagnostics don't show any problems," the car replied. "It may be related to the lack of power remaining, as super pursuit mode does drain energy rapidly."

"Anything you can do?"

"I am redirecting some of the power-flow from my solar energy collectors directly into super pursuit. However, it may not be effective, given that the collectors were unable to recharge my power cells effectively."

"We'll get Bonnie to look into it." Knight frowned slightly and hit the button a third time. This time, the car's air intake rose slightly, allowing it to cram in more air. At the same time, the spoiler angled more steeply as it raised, allowing for more down force, while panels in front of the rear wheels slid back to reveal two more intakes. There was a whine as the extra engines powered up, and with a burst of power and thrust, the car rocketed forward, dust kicking up behind as it tore across the desert. Knight's eyes closed as the car sped along, and he let out a sigh. "Where were you when I was street racing?"

Karr knew that he wasn't really expecting an answer, instead concentrating his scanners on the path ahead, ready to take control if necessary.

**End of Chapter 1…**

(Author's note – this super pursuit mode is very different to that seen on the original KITT, or the Attack Mode for the Knight 3000 – This one is far more discreet and fits the body styling of a fourth gen Trans-am)


	2. Chapter 2: You belong to the night

_**Chapter 2: You belong to the city, you belong to the night**_

"We're approaching the city," Karr's voice resonated.

Knight was concerned to hear the apparent weakness behind the car's usually powerful voice. "Karr are you ok?"

"My power reserves are fading," the AI replied.

Knight straightened in his seat. "Anything I can do?"

"We're approaching the city limits. Reducing velocity and exiting super pursuit mode will extend my power reserves. Beyond that, nothing. Not until I can recharge."

"I hear you," Knight replied, and pressed the illuminated button, "let's close up."

Once again, the light above it rippled and the car's exterior altered form, the air intake and raised spoiler sinking back into the car as the side panels closed, until finally the car appeared to be a typical Trans-am again. Minutes later, they passed a "welcome to Los Angeles" sign. Knight activated the mobile line. "Michael, we're arriving in town now, we'll be back at Knight Research in about…"

"Ten minutes," Karr supplied.

Michael looked surprised. "We're not expecting you for another few hours."

"Well, we're here, and we're early."

"Makes a change," the older man replied with a grin.

Knight shook his head. "I walked into that."

"Technically we drove into it," Karr offered.

Knight hid a smirk with his hand, waiting till it passed. "Karr needs a recharge soon. He's almost out of power."

"The bay will be standing by. We can prepare him for your next assignment while he recharges."

"What do you mean prepare me?" Karr asked, his tone steely.

Michael frowned slightly. "Not over the comm. line, its too high profile. You'll be briefed when you arrive."

"See you soon," Knight answered as Michael's image blinked off screen.

There was silence for a second before Karr asked. "What does he mean by prepare?"

"I didn't know I could read minds," Knight replied dryly. The car made a distinctly unhappy noise and he laughed in response. "We'll find out when we get there." The car didn't respond and Knight sighed. He'd long since learned that Karr tended towards ignoring him when it was annoyed with him. "You have a touchy motor you know that?"

"There is nothing wrong with my engine," Karr replied archly. Knight grinned and didn't respond, deciding it was best to not further antagonise the car, and settled in his seat as they sped into town.

**************************************************

The new headquarters was a large facility, and it had to be to accommodate the cargo plane used to transport the Knight Three Thousand and its team. Karr sped across the tarmac, hitting a ninety degree turn into the large hanger that served as the entrance to the facility. Knight eyed the huge airplane as Karr drove past it, recalling the time spent training with that team. He didn't like flying at the best of times, so those months had not been fun. Karr headed down a ramp into tunnel two, emerging in one of two brightly lit underground bays, coming to a halt in one of the diagnostic chambers. Knight glanced across, down a side tunnel into the diagnostic bay at the end of tunnel one, watching technicians gathered around the menacing form of the Shelby Mustang. Knight slid out from inside the car and crossed the bay to the annex, ignoring the heavy metal shutters as he walked past a covered car, over to the black third generation Trans-am parked there. "Bonnie?"

There was a scraping sound, roller wheels across a floor, then Bonnie pulled herself up from under the other car. "How's that Kitt?"

"Much better, thank you Bonnie."

She patted the car's surface gently then looked at Knight. "You're back."

"Looks like," Knight answered. "What are you doing?"

"Final adjustments to Kitt," Bonnie answered. "He may not be going back into field work, but he deserves to be fully operational again now that Charles has finished the Three Thousand. How was your first real assignment?"

"Was ok, why?"

"Hope you have a bit better than that for Michael," Bonnie answered. "If he gives you any grief, tell him I said I'd tell a few tales if he doesn't lay off," she laughed lightly. "How was Karr?"

"Couldn't have done it without him. Speaking of, he needs a recharge."

Bonnie frowned. "Karr, have you run a diagnostic? You shouldn't need a recharge so soon."

The car's scanner rippled. "My diagnostic program could not find any errors."

Now Knight frowned. "Ok, that's twice now Karr."

"Twice?" Bonnie asked.

"Super pursuit refused to work on the way here, but the diagnostics couldn't find any problems," Knight clarified.

Bonnie frowned and accessed the computers in front of the diagnostic cage. "Well, I'll see if I can find the problem. You'll have plenty of time before your next assignment. We have to get Karr ready for it. Michael's in his office, complaining about needing an office, he'll be waiting for you there."

"Alright," Knight replied, and patted his car's roof. "Behave yourself Karr."

The vehicles scanner rippled, but there was no vocal acknowledgement as Knight headed up the steel stairs at the rear of the hanger to the building above, wondering what Bonnie meant as she called over some other technicians. "Alright, we'll start with the upgrades…"

**************************************************

Knight rapped on the door twice before heading in. "What's up Michael?" He asked, before realising Michael wasn't alone. "Hello Mike."

"Ian," the former Army Ranger replied, offering his hand.

Knight tossed his leather jacket over a chair as he shook Mike's hand. "Good to see you again. How's things with Sarah?"

"Still awkward," Mike replied, before turning to Michael. "I'll see you later. Updated briefing before me and Sarah head out for that embassy party."

"Just be careful Mike," Michael said, hugging the younger man awkwardly. "If you have some free time later, I'd like your help with a few tests. Well, you and the Three Thousand."

"His name is Kitt," the younger man replied. "I can appreciate its confusing, but it is his name too," Mike headed out of Michael's office.

Knight watched him go with a low whistle. "Tense."

"That's my son," Michael said warningly.

Knight held up his hands placatingly and smiled. "Family issues. I'll stay out of it thanks."

"Good plan," Michael replied wryly, gesturing for him to sit down in one of the casual chairs, then crashed down in another, scorning the desk. "Never thought I'd end up with this job," he muttered, before turning to business. "How was your last assignment?"

"Relatively easy. We didn't have any problem with it."

"If that was the case, why does the report take note of a lot of damages, including property destruction?"

"We made it as simple as possible, no body got hurt and the bad guys are gonna be behind bars for a long time."

Michael sighed and shook his head slightly. "I suppose I can't really criticise. In my day, I got the same question from Devon on more than a few occasions."

"I guess that's what Bonnie meant," Knight responded.

Michael frowned. "She mentioned that?"

"Nah, she just said she'd tell me a few tales if you balled me out," Knight answered.

Michael shook his head. "Same old Bonnie." Knight shrugged, not really knowing what to say. Michael caught it, and grinned. "Anyway. You're not here to listen to me reminisce."

"You mentioned my next assignment. Sounded big."

"That's one way of putting it," Michael said, getting a file from his desk. "How in practice are you with the street racing?"

"I'm not answering that without a lawyer present," Knight grinned.

Michael raised an eyebrow. "Misuse of foundation equipment?"

"There a reason you're asking?"

"Your next assignment," Michael said, tossing the file to him. "You hear about the truck heists that have been going on here?"

"I heard that a truck had been stolen, no details were given though," Knight frowned. "What does that have to do with street racing?"

"Read the file," Michael said. "In brief, the trucks were raided in transit. 3 unmarked black Honda Civics, green neon under glow from the chassis, precision driving. Tire tracks are consistent with a favourite brand of street racers."

"You think someone in the street racing world is pulling off the heists?"

"We're sure of it," Michael replied. "The LAPD had a case a few years back. Same method of hijacking the trucks. No arrests, no convictions and the heists stopped."

"So where do I start?" Knight asked.

Michael smiled. "I didn't think you'd turn this down. I'd like you to check the scene of the last hijacking. Local PD may have missed something. Then it's up to you. We don't know where the racers meet up to organise…"

"That's usual. If you're serious about racing, you find out, it's kind of a test," Knight supplied.

Michael raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. "We don't know where they meet. But we do know parts suppliers. We've given you a list of places you can start."

Knight flipped down the list, read the relevant information for each one, and checked out the surveillance photos. "I think I'll start at the Racer's Edge."

"A good choice. Can I ask why?"

"According to this, a former LAPD officer works there, Brian O'Conner. He quit shortly after investigating this case. Besides, I know Brian from Miami."

Michael nodded. "Karr's having some modifications made. We're installing a few new components. According to Bonnie you already made some unauthorised adjustments."

Knight looked down slightly but didn't deny it as Michael carried on. "The additions will take a while, plus with the problems you've already reported…you have time to get some rest, read the file. Take a shower. I remember from my days that sometimes you spend days in the car away from civilisation. We'll give you a call when Karr's ready."

"Gotcha," Knight replied, getting to his feet. "Can I ask one thing?"

"Shoot."

"Do we think the same people are responsible this time?"

"Local PD does. I'm not so sure," Michael admitted. "They must have stopped for a reason before, and I doubt it's because they had all they wanted. I don't think they'd start again, not after so long. But that's something that you're going to have to determine. They are the prime suspects though. If it isn't them, you'll have your work cut out for you."

"Nothing new there," Knight shrugged. "Thanks Michael."

**************************************************

The comm. link awoke Knight from his sleep, and he tiredly rubbed sleep sand from his eyes, and reached for it. "Knight."

"Ian, its Michael. Can you get down to the bay please? We're having a few problems with Karr."

"I'll be right there," Knight groaned, getting to his feet as the comm. shut off. He'd only intended to have a short snooze, but the ache in his muscles told him he'd been asleep on the sofa for a long time. He grabbed his jacket from the chair back, and headed downstairs.

Knight rubbed his eyes, and blinked twice, not believing what he was seeing as he stood beside Michael –"What's going on?"

"Karr is not behaving." Michael replied testily. The vehicle was manoeuvring slowly, lurching backwards and forwards as if it were repeatedly tapping the gas pedal, moving away from the technicians trying to gain access to the machine.

Knight sighed, knowing full well the car didn't trust the technicians, hadn't since Wilton Knight had deactivated him years ago, before his program had been repaired. "Karr, stop."

With a squeal of tires, the car moved forward, smoothly and quickly driving into the diagnostic cage and halting inches away from its driver. "I will not allow it."

"Allow what?" Knight asked.

Michael supplied the answer. "Karr was being prepared for your assignment. We were going to alter Karr's appearance so that he'd blend in, and enhance his engine."

"I am quite happy with my appearance as it is," Karr replied coldly –"I will not allow them to alter it."

"It's for the good of the mission Karr," Michael informed it sternly, his usual humour drained from his tone.

Karr's scanner rippled. "I will not allow my appearance to be altered. The body parts serve no useful function."

Knight held up a hand. "We may not need to be arguing about this. I can run Karr as a sleeper."

"A sleeper?" Michael asked.

Knight shrugged. "It's a car that appears to be basic stock. In reality, it's highly tuned. I don't know the LA scene well, but it should be ok."

"Well, I guess we'll have to do that then, since Karr doesn't want his appearance altered," Michael sighed. "Bonnie, how long till you finish with the upgrades?"

"Provided Karr co-operates, I can do it alone if I pull an all nighter."

"Why alone?" Michael asked, frowning.

Knight pulled a face. "Karr doesn't trust the other technicians."

Michael looked distinctly unpleased and gave the vehicle a sharp look, but didn't say anything. Bonnie broke the silence. "I could ask Sarah to help. She's familiar with the new systems since they were originally designed and tested on the three thousand."

"No way," Knight shook his head. "Last time Sarah did any work with Karr, he picked up a taste for Rihanna. I had to endure listening to it for a week."

Karr made a noise that sounded distinctly like snickering, dual scanner rippling in a challenging manner as Michael blinked, processing what he'd just heard before finally sighing. "Alright, go to work."

As the older man headed upstairs, Knight crouched down by Karr. "You know how to push your luck with him don't you?"

He wasn't surprised when Karr didn't respond, and sighed. "Alright, fine, have one of your moods. Just behave for Bonnie, alright?"

"As you wish," the car replied in smooth cold tones, and then backed into the bay.

Knight took a deep breath then looked at Bonnie. "Sorry."

"It's no problem. I can catch up on my sleep after I've finished."

"He'll behave for you now," Knight replied, and then added. "I think. Did you find what was wrong? And do you want a hand? I won't know what I'm doing, but I can follow directions."

"From what I'm told, you're going to be busy. You'd best get some sleep while you can," Bonnie smiled at him. "But thanks. As for the problems, I've replaced the connectors and power-packs while I investigate further. We know the system works, it's the same one used by the Three Thousand. Now go get some rest, me and Karr will get along fine, won't we Karr?"

The cars scanner rippled once in acknowledgement, but it didn't speak, and Knight knew the machine was sulking, despite having got its way. The knowledge made him grin slightly. "Alright, I'll see you both in the morning. Night Bonnie. Goodnight Karr."

"Goodnight," the car intoned back at him.

Bonnie gave him a smile. "sleep well."

**************************************************

The next morning came far too quickly for Knight's liking, especially after his midnight wakeup call, and the shower didn't help. He noticed with some satisfaction that Mike didn't look any better as they met in the corridor before entering the SCC's main chamber. The chamber bustled with techs, most of them working around the Knight 3000. With a nod to Mike, he headed over to Karr and the greying brunette under the car's hood. "So what do I need to know about these upgrades?"

"Just a few system upgrades for the most part," Bonnie replied. "Karr can fill you in on those."

"Great, guess I'm on the way out then."

"Just a minute," she stopped him. "Two things. We've made some adjustments to the way Karr's tuned, to improve his performance, especially if you're going to be racing. Michael wants those testing before you leave."

"And the second thing?"

"I've installed a nitrous system."

Knight glanced at Karr. "Isn't that over-kill with turbo boost?"

"It's a separate system," Bonnie gave him a long suffering look. "You know how nitrous works, that it gives you a speed boost. You can use that and still have turbo boost as an instant, no delay option, since Karr won't have to redirect the boost thrusters. If you run into any problems, it should give you an edge. But I'd try to avoid using them at the same time if I were you."

"Seems contradictory," Knight raised an eyebrow. "But I'll keep that in mind. Ready Karr?"

"Always."

Knight looked over towards Mike. "Take it your taking part in the tests Traceur?"

"That's right," Mike grinned. "Ready to do this?"

"Depends, you and your Mustang ready to lose?"

Mike leaned back against the Mustang. "Kitt?"

"We got this," the Knight 3000 answered.

"Let's get this done then," Knight grinned, sliding into the Trans-am, Mike doing the same with his car. The two vehicles rumbled to life, the diagnostic cages rotating to face the exit tunnels, moments before each car departed.

**End of Chapter 2…**

For any fans of the old show, the new show has improved tremendously over the last few weeks, so don't miss the finale, Wednesday night at 8pm!


	3. Chapter 3: Heaven’s In The Engine

_Authors Note: Starting to get into the main story now, enjoy! And don't forget, tonight at 8pm is the season finale of Knight Rider!_

_**Chapter 3: Heaven's In The Engine, Listen To Her Howl And Roar**_

The two supercars tore along the track, the black and silver Trans-am a little way in front. The GT500KR surged forward, drawing level for a few seconds, before the Trans-am pulled away, beating the other car across the line by a whole car length before skidding to a halt. The Mustang skidded round as well, the cars nose to nose less than a metre apart as both cars stopped, their respective gold and red scanner lights rippling as their drivers got out, both laughing. "I thought I had you then."

"Not a chance Mike," Knight replied. "I didn't even have to use the nitrous Bonnie installed."

"It wasn't a fair race," Kitt protested. "Karr's been modified especially for this mission, and specifically for racing."

"My being upgraded isn't an excuse," Karr growled back softly. "Sarah and Charles upgrade all of your systems constantly."

"Stop arguing children," Michael told the two cars as he approached the two young agents. "Work alright for you?" he asked, addressing Knight.

Knight shrugged in response. "We should be able to beat anything we race against. Although we might throw a few races, just to stay low profile. I'd rather have a proper clutch and shifter, but the sports shifter will suffice."

"We need to get to work on the case soon. Installing a new gearbox system, and clutch pedal would have taken too long," Michael replied. "This system will work for now. And you know why the cars have automatic gears. Makes life easier in chases, and its easier for the benefit of the auto drive."

Knight shrugged non-committally. "I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it," he said before patting Karr's hood. "Head back to the start Karr. We're gonna run another test in a few minutes."

"You aren't driving me this time?" Karr asked.

Knight shook his head. "We're gonna pit you against a car built for street racing. You were analysing my driving, and you should know how to perform best anyway. You should be fine."

"We'll drop you at the garage, then head back, and join in again," Michael said. "Let's go."

**************************************************

Knight grinned as the M3 CSL gleamed under the bay lighting as he slowly pulled off the protective covering. Like most racers tended to do, Knight had had the bodywork altered from the standard CSL, with wider wheel arches, spoiler, hood and modified fenders, the end result looking more like the rare GTS version than the CSL it was. He let his hand glide smoothly over the blue and silver paintwork before sliding himself down into the scooped racing seat inside. He grinned slightly as the engine came to life, the smile widening as he revved the engine slightly. Blue neon shone from under the car, gleaming slightly off the silver paint, and intensifying the blue paint alongside. Knight let the engine rev right up and drop back down before slamming it into gear and shooting up the ramp way of the garage, pulling up alongside the Mustang and the Trans-am on the starting line. He let the engine roar, grinning like a school boy as Mike rolled his eyes at him. His eyes widened in surprise as Michael rolled up alongside in the sleek third gen Trans-am that was the original Kitt. Knight frowned to himself, wondering how the M3 was going to match up to these vehicles. According to the manufacturers, the BMW's performance rivalled a Ferrari 360, before having a supercharger installed and thus should be more than a match for the first Kitt.

Even tuned as it was though, Knight knew it would be no match for the sheer power of the cars that he and Traceur were teamed with. The light above the track turned red, and he turned his attention away from his thoughts, letting the engine rev up till he found the sweet spot that would give him a little extra kick as he pulled away. The light turned green, and he slammed the M3's gas pedal to the floor, the tires squealing as the car pulled away just ahead of the pack. It didn't stay there for long though, as Karr pulled up alongside and then blasted away, sunlight glinting off the black and silver paintwork.

Knight raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself. "Not bad Karr," before hitting the nitrous button. The car surged forward, the surroundings seeming to streak into a rainbow as it pulled forward, nose to nose with Karr. Knight was taken by surprise as he glanced in his mirror, as the menacing form of the Mustang in attack mode raced past them both, its twin scanner bars pulsing rhythmically as it did so. He barely heard the roar of Karr's turbo over the noise of the M3's engine as the black and silver car rocketed past him again, its back end crossing the finish just as the M3's nose did, with Kitt alongside. Knight shook his head and grinned as he pulled the BMW to a stop and got out. "Good work Karr."

"Your machine never stuck a chance," Karr informed him.

Knight laughed. "It didn't come off too badly against you."

"None of you came close to us," Mike pointed out as he leaned back on the Mustang's hood. "And you didn't even place. Karr was faster. Michael and his Kitt were level with you."

"It still didn't come off too badly though, despite not being a Knight Industries supercar, which is what I'm happy about," Knight replied, running his hand along the BMW's hood. "Besides, you're just bitter that I get the fun assignment, while you have to go spend attend some ambassador's stuffed shirt ball."

"Besides, neither of us cheated," Karr said flatly.

"We didn't cheat," the Mustang retorted.

"Perhaps we should run again while I'm in super pursuit mode then," Karr replied. "Unless you're afraid you can't beat me."

"Kitt, Karr, that's enough," the older Michael sighed before looking at their drivers. "What kind of example are you two setting them?"

Both men shrugged, prompting a frown from Michael as he addressed Knight. "If you're happy with Karr's modifications, have Bonnie run a final check and then head out."

"Alright," Knight replied. "Come on Karr, follow me back." Knight nodded to Mike. "Always a riot Mike," he offered with a wink, then got back in the car as he scowled, and drove off, the black and silver Trans-am pulling in behind him.

Mike shook his head slightly. "I could have taken this mission. Kitt's better suited for it, and I've raced in Vegas, several times."

"You already have an assignment," Michael replied. "I know you can race, but so can he, and he knows the people involved. Some of them. My concern is that he's a little reckless. And despite his brashness, and competitiveness, he works well with Karr, which is reassuring."

"Well, I hope he doesn't crash and burn," Mike shrugged. "I'd better go. I really don't need Torres on my case if I'm late."

"When are you back next?"

"About a week, if everything goes as planned," Mike hesitated, before finishing awkwardly. "See you later dad."

**************************************************

"How's everything looking Bonnie?" Knight asked as he pulled the protective cover over his BMW.

Bonnie looked up from her computer. "Everything looks fine. How's it feel Karr?"

"A bit of a tight fit, but it isn't uncomfortable," the machine replied. "Does this mean we're ready to go?"

"I am if you are pal," Knight replied. "Bonnie?"

"You as ready to go as I can make you," Bonnie confirmed, unhooking some electronics for Karr, and shutting the car's hood as Knight got in. "I'll go over the systems reports from the Centre's diagnostics and let you know what I find regarding the problem with recharging. Want me to tell Michael you've gone?"

"Thanks Bonnie," Knight grinned, starting Karr's engine. "See you around." He slipped the car into reverse, backing out of the bay before driving off.

**************************************************

"Certainly can't miss this place huh Karr?" Knight asked as the Trans-am pulled in to the Racer's Edge car park.

The cars scanner rippled. "Not with that bright red sports car hanging off the roof."

Knight grinned indulgently. "Certainly looks the business. Just remember, we're low profile ok?"

"I remember the plan," Karr replied coldly.

Knight grinned, unfazed. "I'm sure you do. Just behave yourself and keep quiet ok."

The cars scanner rippled. "Understood."

"Good," Knight said as he climbed out, patting the cars roof. "I won't be long."

He took a few moments to look around, and then headed into the shop.

"Nice place," Knight said as he entered. "Shame about their hiring policy. Couldn't they find better than you bro?"

The blond man turned round, surprised. "Knight!"

"You remember my name then," Knight replied. "You don't write, you don't stay in touch. You still sore about losing?"

"What the hell are you doing here man?" the blond man asked as he stepped from behind the counter.

Knight grinned. "Nice to see you too Brian."

Brian returned the grin. "Been too long cuz. How's things in Miami bro?"

"Haven't been there for a while man," Knight replied, embracing Brian in a manly hug. He then wrapped an arm round Brian's neck in a friendly headlock. "So this is where you're working now?"

Brian shoved him off, but not with too much force. "Sometimes. I work at DT as well. It's a garage, specialises in…"

"In highly tuned cars, made for street racing," Knight finished. "I thought you and Rome were gonna set up shop in Miami?"

"I helped him start out," Brian answered. "Couldn't stay, had to get back to Mia."

"Your fiancé?" Knight asked.

Brian nodded. "Long engagement, still got to set a date. And then start arranging things."

"One reason why I'm never getting married," Knight grinned.

Brian smirked. "Who'd have you cuz?"

Knight gave him a scandalised look. "You are still sore about losing aren't you?"

"Nah," Brian replied, then looked up as a customer came in. "I gotta get this. We're short staffed today. I get off for lunch in about an hour, when Harry and Kat are back if you wanna stick around, catch up bro."

Knight checked his watch. "Tell you what, I'll meet you back here in an hour. Got an errand to run cuz."

"Sure, no problem," Brian replied. "I'll take you to meet Mia. Catch you later bro."

"Catch you later," Knight replied, meeting Brian's fist with his own, then headed out of the shop.

**************************************************

"So this is where they stole the truck?" Knight asked, walking a few paces in front of the car, it crawling along behind him as Karr responded.

"According to the data I was given."

Knight crouched slightly, examining some faded tire tracks. "Your scans revealing anything?"

"Nothing that isn't in the police report," Karr answered. "There'd be even less to find if Michael hadn't pulled a few strings to keep the road closed for us to look at."

"Yeah I know," Knight replied. "Is there enough left of the tire tracks for you to provide a reconstruction?"

"I can try," Karr replied.

Knight frowned, getting back up and walking over to the car. "Well?"

"We already knew that precision driving was involved. We have the truck driver's statement. And the brand of tires the cars were using, as well as my scans of this area. All this really tells us is the exact positions of the cars and their probable vectors, allowing us to simulate their movements. How does it help?"

"To be honest, it doesn't," Knight answered. "It's just to give me an idea of how exactly these guys used three small cars to get a person on to a rig and take control of it. Especially when a rig could cause them to have a real bad day if there was a collision."

"I see. The reconstruction is ready. Would you like to view it on my new in-screen HUD?"

"New what now?"

"Heads Up Display. It's one of the new features Bonnie installed. When it's active, information and communication channels can be viewed on the windscreen, without obstructing the drivers view, rather than on my original display unit."

Knight blinked. "Just put it on the monitor."

"Very well," the car replied, its voice tinged with disappointment.

Knight patted the vehicles dashboard while watching Karr's simulation. "Something doesn't feel right Karr."

"The simulation is as accurate as I can manage with the available data," the car replied irritably, as if annoyed that its driver doubted it.

Knight shook his head. "Not what I meant. The cops think the same people that pulled the heists a couple of years back, are behind this one, and the others. But something doesn't add up about it. I just can't see what it is yet, but I have the feeling it's not the same people."

"We should still investigate them though."

"Yeah," Knight checked his watch. "So let's go get on to that," he said, sliding into the vehicle. Karr took off down the road, skidding round in a one eighty with a screech of tires and heading back the way the Trans-am had come.

**************************************************

"You ready?" Knight asked as he re-entered The Racer's Edge. Brian gave him an amused look. "It's customary to say hello first."

Knight shrugged and Brian sighed with a shake of his head and turned slightly. "Kat, I'm off to lunch, your ok on your own right?"

"Course I am Brian. Say hi to Leon for me if you see him, ask him to stop by," the slender, white-blonde haired girl replied. Knight frowned slightly, sure he'd seen her before, but thought it better not to ask as he followed Brian out.

Brian asked. "So what you driving now? I don't see your M3 anywhere."

"I still have it," Knight replied. "But this is mine too."

"A Trans-am?" Brian asked, slightly incredulous. "Doesn't look much but I know how much you like them. Thought you wanted a third gen though?"

Knight grinned as Karr's scanner rippled, although the car remained silent. "Looks aren't everything Brian. It can go, believe me it can go. Get in."

Brian opened the passenger door, and whistled as he saw the dash. As Knight opened his door, he watched the dashboard light up in a slow refined sequence and whispered. "Show off."

There was no reply from Karr, but he did hear the noise of the scanner rippling again and grinned as he sat down. Brian sat down slowly. "You weren't kidding. Wild dash cuz, even for a racer. What does all this stuff do?"

Knight just grinned. "You'll see later."

"You racing tonight?"

"If you tell me where to show up."

"C'mon, you know the rules. You're supposed to find out for yourself."

"Nothing says you can't ask a friend. Besides, there's something in it for you," Knight tossed back.

Brian looked at him doubtfully. "Yeah?"

"Yep. You get a chance to win back your dignity if you tell me where the racers meet up."

"Alright, alright," Brian laughed, and told him where to go.

Knight grinned. "Thanks. Now, where are we eating?"

"I'll give you directions."

"Alright," Knight said, and started Karr's engine, the Trans-am coming to life with a rumble, backing out of the space, and heading down the street.

**End of Chapter 3…**


	4. Chapter 4: Watch Your Back!

_Big shout to Tempest, thanks for beta'ing, and help with the cars and characters!_

_Don't forget, tonight at 8/7c pm is the season finale of Knight Rider!_

_**Chapter 4: Watch Your, Watch Your, Watch Your Back!**_

"I wouldn't park here if I were you," Brian commented as Knight backed the Trans-am into a space. Knight glanced at him as he switched the engine off "Why?"

"Its Vince's space. No-one parks in Vince's space."

"Well, now that's changed," Knight said, getting out of the car. Brian shrugged and followed suit "You always did like getting in trouble."

"There's no trouble. I don't see his name on the space. And it's not like there's not plenty of spaces available."

"I know," Brian grinned. "But its still Vince's place."

Knight shrugged. "Are we gonna eat or what?"

"C'mon," Brian said, nodding his head in the direction of the door, and stepping through. "Hey Mia."

"Heya Brian," the dark haired, lightly tanned girl behind the counter said, leaning over the top as the two kissed quickly. Knight guessed she had some Italian blood from her skin tone, and coughed lightly. Brian grinned "Mia, this is a friend from Miami, Ian Knight. Knight, this is Mia, my fiancée."

"Nice to meet you Ian," Mia said, her voice soft, extending a hand. Knight took it, and kissed it gently in a very old fashioned manner "I think the pleasure is mine. And please, it's Knight."

"Hey hey hey, that's my fiancé you seem to be flirting with bro," Brian said, although his tone indicated he was joking. Knight grinned "My bad."

"Wasn't so bad," Mia smiled radiantly "So, why Knight?"

"Very few people call me Ian, which suits me fine," Knight replied "I prefer going by my surname, always have."

"You a racer?"

"I race, amongst other things."

"Wouldn't have thought it from looking at your car. I don't race much, and even mine is more kitted out than yours."

"Ahh looks can be deceiving," Knight said, musing over the irony of that statement, given that he wasn't being completely honest with them, although he hadn't lied out right. Brian gave him a look suggesting he knew exactly what Knight meant "So why the change of style? I mean, apart from those rippling lights on the front, the car doesn't look much, till you get inside anyways. But your BMW was kitted right out."

"I had a little trouble," Knight shrugged "Decided on something that wouldn't draw as much attention."

"I can see how that appeals," Mia said thoughtfully, deciding that while Knight was likeable, there was something about him that suggested he wasn't what he seemed "You guys here to eat?"

"That's right," Brian grinned "How's the tuna today?"

"Every time you're here, you ask that and every time, I tell you it's crappy as always," Mia replied in an amused tone "So why'd you always ask?"

"Force of habit," Brian grinned "I'll have the tuna."

Mia shook her head slightly, still smiling "And you?"

"Hamburger and fries if you have em," Knight grinned disarmingly. Mia nodded "it'll take a little while longer but yeah."

"Cheers," Knight replied, taking a seat.

Brian asked, "Dom around?"

"Upstairs in the store room," Mia answered, handing them their lunch "You going up?"

"Nah I'll wait till he comes down," Brian said, hearing the approaching cars at the same time Knight did and turning to watch as they pulled in, first a metallic purple Nissan 240sx, Silvia conversion. Alongside it and next to Karr, a yellow Nissan Skyline R32 pulled in. On Karr's other side, a Jetta pulled in. Behind Karr, a blue Maxima had stopped, then with a squeal of tires, moved forward, and slid in to a space on the other side of the 240 as the other cars occupants got out. The kid that got out of the Jetta was already looking at Karr with interest

"Hey Leon, look at this. Check out that dash!"

"It's cool Jesse but the dash is hardly important," the guy who had gotten out of the Skyline replied dismissively. "How it runs is what matters. Besides, it's a domestic. Plenty of power under the hood, but none of the finesse."

"I know, but it's still a nice ride. Wonder what it's got under the hood?"

"Well, be sure to ask the driver if you can have it before I kill him," the Maxima's driver growled as he got out of the car.

Knight glanced at Brian and with a low voice "That's Vince?"

"Yup."

"Great," Knight replied, frowning slightly as he noticed Letty. "Who's she?"

"Knight, that's Letty, Dom's girl," Brian replied. "Why?"

Knight just shrugged. "She reminds me of someone else is all," he replied as the team entered the café.

Mia looked at the team as they entered the café. "How you doing guys?"

"Hey Brian, you seen the T-top outside?" Jesse asked excitedly "That'd be cool to race against huh? I mean, for a domestic."

"I've seen it Jess. I've been in it," Brian replied. "Knight this is Jesse, Leon, Letty and Vince. Guys, this is Knight, he's a friend from Miami."

"The fools parked in my spot," Vince growled. Knight looked at him casually "I didn't see your name on it."

"Everyone round here knows it's my spot," Vince said coldly.

"And now it's mine. Less you want to race for it?"

"Your car's no racer. And I bet you don't drive that well. Certainly not in my league."

Knight stood up, not surprised to find that he was a little shorter than Vince "Actually it is. And you're right, I'm not in your league. I'm better. Sorry Jesse, what's under the hood is a secret."

Jesse deflated at that slightly, although he watched with interest as Knight and Vince stared each other down. Leon chewing gum, also watching with interest leaned over to Jesse "This could get interesting."

"Vince!" Mia said loudly, getting his attention as she tried to keep the peace "Can I get you something? Before you start a fight in here."

"You can get this fool to move his crappy domestic piece of shit."

"That crappy domestic could beat yours any day," Knight said coldly.

Vince glared at him and growled "Is that a challenge?"

"I think we've just covered that I'm outta your league."

"Guys, guys, we're all friends here all right?" Brian offered, standing between them "So let's just call it quits for now ok?"

Neither man answered, glaring a hole into each other as Brian looked back over his shoulder "C'mon Knight, we're both done eating. I gotta get back to work.

"Alright," Knight replied calmly "Thanks for lunch Mia."

"Thanks a lot Mia," Brian added then glanced at Leon. "Kat said to say hi, ask you to drop by the Edge."

"Watch your back punk," Vince tossed at Knight as Brian pushed him towards the door.

Knight snorted "Your act's about ten years out of date. Work a little harder if you want to convince people that you're as tough as you make out," he retorted, not even turning back as he headed to Karr's door.

Vince stalked after them, heading for the Maxima. Knight glanced back as he begun to open the car door and almost laughed "Seriously? It really matters enough that you move your car as I leave?"

Brian groaned softly, knowing what was coming next. He wasn't disappointed as Vince lost it, spinning round with a growl, and a right hook. Fortunately, Knight saw it coming and moved to one side, the heavy fist hitting Karr's molecular bonded shell. Vince grunted and pulled his hand back, rubbing the battered knuckles. Knight's tone was slightly mocking "Ouch. Hope you didn't need that hand for anything important."

"Vince!"

Brian silently offered up thanks as Dom made his presence known from the stores doorway, getting the attention of the other two men before they could start a fight "Get inside now. Mia, get him some ice for that hand will you."

Knight studied the taller man as he strode down from the doorway. The guy was bigger than him, with rippling muscles, strong jaw line and a shaved head. Knight didn't fancy tackling him and was fortunate that Brian intervened first. "Dom wait up man," he said, stepping between them. "He's cool, I know him."

"Who the hell is he Brian?" the man replied, folding his arms across his chest, slowly and deliberately.

Brian grinned "Dom, this is Knight. Knight, this is the guy I told you about, Dom Toretto."

Knight eyed Dom suspiciously, and found he was getting the same look back from the bigger man "He needs to watch his mouth."

"No I don't," Knight retorted, ignoring the feeling that he was being slightly childish. "That implies I didn't know what I was saying. I knew exactly what I was saying about that knuckle dragger."

"Knight," Brian said warningly "Don't. Just don't. Dom is not someone you want to annoy alright?"

Knight tensed slightly, forcing himself to relax. "So you're Dominic Toretto."

"That's right."

"I thought you'd be taller," Knight smirked "Brian told me a lot about you."

"While I was in Miami," Brian added. Dom gave them both a look that said he wasn't impressed "Brian did you not think to tell him he shouldn't park there? You know what happened to the last guy to do that."

"He told me, I just didn't care," Knight interjected.

Dom glanced at him "You a racer?"

"Yeah."

"Well you got the attitude alright, I'll give you that," Dom replied, then glanced at Karr "Apparently not the ride though. Don't see many domestics around the scene here. Pony boys occasionally. You run it as a sleeper right?"

Knight laid a hand on Karr's hood warningly to stop the car retorting. "Or I'm saying is you might be surprised."

Dom glanced back at Brian who just shrugged in response "If the dash is anything to go by, it's tricked out."

Dom looked back at Knight "Brian says your cool, which earns you a little leeway. You pull something like this again, I'll knock you on your ass, you hear me?"

"I hear you."

Dom eyed him evaluatingly then nodded slowly "Brian, get him outta here alright?"

Brian nodded "C'mon man," he said, motioning Knight towards the car. Knight shrugged his hand off and glanced at Vince, unable to resist one last dig "Maybe you'll get a shot at redeeming yourself later."

Ignoring the annoyed look Dom gave him, Knight calmly clambered into the Trans-am, Brian a few seconds after. With a squeal of tires, the sleek super-car took off, leaving the store in a cloud of dust.

**************************************************

**That night**

**************************************************

"Now this is home," Knight grinned. "Automobile heaven, right Karr?"

"I am unfamiliar with that reference," Karr replied as Knight slid the black and silver Trans-am into the busy street. Music blared, mixing into one big mass of sound from the numerous cars parked there.

Knight made an approving noise as he cast his eyes over the cars present, a black Nissan Skyline R34 with an elaborate tiger pattern along the side, surprised to find that its apparent driver was a blond female with incredibly pale skin. She seemed familiar, before he recalled seeing her and the car a few months back in tuner magazine, although he was sure that wasn't where he knew her from. There were a lot of other car's present, but the two that caught his attention next were a white Mustang GT, with blood red paint picking out the wheel arches, roof trim and stripes across the doors, topped off with a carbon fibre hood and rear spoiler. The one next to it was a second generation RX-7, a front mounted intercooler and tinted windows that were almost the same colour as the car which had the most elaborate paint job he'd ever seen.

The bottom six inches of the car was jet black and painted to look like a tree line. The upper part was very dark purple and the roof was painted in varying shades of lighter purple to look like storm clouds. From the clouds down to the trees were brilliant silver lightning bolts and around the bolts the background was a lighter purple like the lightning had created a haze. The design ranged all down both sides and the hood as well as on the back and side windows. When the bolts went over the glass they didn't stop, they just went over the tint, making the windows blend in seamlessly with the graphic design on the body panels. He gave a low whistle. "Nice."

Karr asked. "The car or its owner?"

Knight grinned as he checked out the driver, another girl, with very dark red hair that fell down her back in curls, wearing a fancy black singlet that appeared to sparkle in the coruscating light and dark, flared jeans.

"Both," he replied, noting that she seemed to be watching over the Mustang next to her car as well "Although she isn't really my type. Man I should have invited Faith tonight. Last I heard she was in LA."

"Which one was she?" Karr asked.

"The ex-con," Knight grinned. "She was fun. Interesting tattoos."

"I do not understand why you and Mike socialize with so many young ladies."

"Human nature," Knight answered.

"I see," Karr accessed his databanks. "Is this related to the basic human desire to reproduce?"

"Drop it Karr."

Karr growled slightly as he changed the subject for his drivers ease "I can beat all the cars here with one wheel tied behind my axle."

"You know that and I know that, but they don't," Knight replied, grinning slightly as the memories subsided back into his subconscious "And we're supposed to keep a low profile, which means not beating them as badly as we could do."

"I suppose," Karr growled softly.

Knight grinned "I don't like it either but it's necessary. Just remember to stay quiet alright. I'm gonna go mingle with the crowd till Brian arrives. Be good."

"Understood," Karr said, his tone as cold and steely as ever.

Knight shook his head slightly and got out, grinning as he looked around "Home sweet home."

**End of Chapter 4…**


	5. Chapter 5: Got hustled for a wad of cash

_**Chapter 5: You Just Got Hustled For A Wad of Cash Man, Whatcha Gonna Do, Act A Fool**_

"Nice car," Knight offered as he approached the red head perched on the hood of the RX-7. "Love the paint job. Very elaborate, very unique."

"Thanks," the girl replied warmly. "Took a long time to do."

"I'll bet," Knight replied, offering his hand. "I'm Knight."

The girl shook his hand. "Tempest."

"Goes with the car then," Knight grinned. "Unique car, unique name."

"That's right," she grinned. "Your name's quite unusual too. Is it just Knight?"

Knight just smiled in response, without answering

"Knight it is then," she replied. "Which is your car?"

"The Trans-am."

Her face fell slightly. "Doesn't look much, although those pulsating lights combined with the black and silver paint job does give it a menacing air."

"You have no idea," Knight laughed, thinking how well she'd just summed up Karr. "It might not look much, but it can certainly shift."

"I hope so," Tempest replied. "It'll have to if your going to beat the cars here, and you'll need to do that to earn respect. Especially for a domestic."

"Any suggestions?"

"Much as I hate to admit it," Tempest replied, looking around cautiously. "Beat one of the Toretto team. Quickest way to gain respect here."

"I don't think Jesse would be too much of a problem, so I'm guessing you meant someone else," Knight grinned.

Tempest laughed. "Jesse is quite sweet. Don't spend much time with him though. My team tends not to mix with the Toretto's. History, you know how it is," she shrugged.

Knight nodded. "Yeah I know. I suspect it's going to be Vince that I race."

Tempest gave him a curious look and he grinned widely. "History."

"You know Vince?"

"Not really," Knight answered. "But we did have a slugging match earlier. He has a score to settle."

"Well, I'd hope Nyssa's around if I were you. His tempers a bit more restrained when she's around."

"Thanks for the advice," Knight replied, then glanced back at Karr, to see two guys looking at the vehicle. "Who are those two?"

"Hector and Edwin," Tempest replied. "I'd head over if I were you. I'll keep an eye out for your race."

Knight smiled. "Maybe catch you afterwards."

"I look forward to it," she replied with a wink.

Knight chuckled, and headed back towards Karr, the comm. link chirping in his ear as he did so and he checked it surreptitiously. "What is it Karr?"

"We have vehicles approaching. Your friends from earlier."

"Alright, I guess its show time," Knight replied. "I'll be right with you," he answered, before drawing Hector and Edwin's attention. "Like the car guys?"

"It's a domestic. And it's plain," Edwin replied. Knight raised an eyebrow. "It's what's under the hood that matters."

"What you got under the hood?" Hector asked. Knight grinned in response. "Only one way you're gonna find out."

Hector rolled his eyes –"Just like the other white boy."

"Damn straight," Knight replied. "probably in a few minutes."

"Toretto ain't here…" Edwin trailed off as he heard the cars approach. "Alright here he is, its on," he almost squeaked as the team's cars pulled up, led by a red RX-7 R1 and with a blue R34 Skyline in the middle of the pack, the cars pulling to a halt as the RX-7 glided forward, engine roaring right into the high rev's.

Knight shook his head slightly as Dom got out of the car, the rest of the team getting out of their cars, a dark haired girl getting out of Vince's. Knight guessed this was Nyssa. Leon headed over to the blonde with the black skyline and embraced her, which jogged something in his memory, although he didn't know why, turning his attention back to Dom as he slapped hands with Hector and Edwin. "How you doin guys?"

"Doin good man," Edwin said. "How we running tonight?"

"Same as usual, two g buy in," Dom said, then noticed Knight. "Might be on for a few races tonight, cops allowing. Hector, you racing tonight?"

"Plan on doing, been too long man," Hector answered.

Dom nodded. "Alright. Mia's gonna hold the money. Let's see who we can get in the first four tonight."

Brian nodded to Knight as he joined them. "You up? I wanna see what your Trans-am can do."

"I'll bet," Knight grinned. "You gonna run against me?"

"Sure, why not?" Brian asked. "Dom, I'll run."

"Count me in," Knight added.

Dom glanced at him. "You got the money?"

"Pink slip tonight," Knight said, holding it up.

Dom laughed. "You really want to lose your car?"

"I'll be keeping it. And the money too," Knight replied, his tone challenging.

Dom seemed to weigh that up. "Brian vouched for you earlier, so I guess I'll give you a shot."

"Count me in too brother," Vince growled, glaring at Knight.

Dom looked at him. "Vince, Brian's already…"

"We can both run," Vince replied, his tone slightly angry.

Dom shrugged. "Alright. One more."

While they waited for Dom to find another driver, Brian leaned over slightly. "So, how'd you know that Vince was gonna hit you before?"

"I figured it was a safe bet, going by the look of him."

"That doesn't explain how you dodged."

Knight grinned, and tapped Karr's side lightly –"Saw his reflection in the window. And later, he's gonna see his reflection in Karr's back end."

"Karr?"

Knight cursed inwardly. "It's my cars name."

"You named it?" Brian asked. "You never did that with your M Three."

Knight shrugged and pointed. "Looks like Dom found another racer," he said, changing the subject.

Brian gave him a look that suggested he knew exactly what Knight had just done as Dom waved them over. "Alright, we have another driver. You're new here, so let me explain how it works. Simple straight up drag race over a quarter mile strip. Follow Brian when we move out, and line up ready. Assuming the cops don't show up, we meet back here after sorting prize money, to sort out the next race. Better to keep moving as you probably know. Understand?"

Knight ignored the condescending tone from the bigger man and nodded. It seemed the right thing to do as Dom returned the nod. "Alright, everyone move out!"

The cars peeled out of the street heading towards the strip they'd be racing on. Knight climbed back into Karr and started the engine, and headed after Brian.

**************************************************

Knight grinned slightly to himself as two blondes sprayed paint across the road, the cars pulling to a stop behind it, Karr between Vince's Maxima and Brian's Skyline, the fourth driver in a brand new Impreza WRX that looked to be extensively kitted out. Knight smirked to himself. "I don't think we have any real problems here. Or at least, not with you being one of the most advanced machines on the road today."

"I can assume we're not throwing this race then," Karr replied with usual cold steely tones. Knight laughed. "No, we ain't. Like I'm losing you in a race. Besides, I really want to see Vince's face when he loses to you."

"After his earlier comments, I want to beat him too. I could humiliate him," Karr suggested. "My micro-jammer could immobilise his car."

"Fun as that sounds, I think we'll just stick to the plan. Beat them, but not as fast as we really can."

"As you wish," Karr replied with a cold purr.

Knight grinned, and got ready, letting Karr's engine roar alongside the other cars, knowing that the dual scanner was rippling back and forth. For some reason, the image seemed malevolent for Karr, but with the original Kitt, it was more re-assuring. In some respects, Karr's seemed re-assuring too, but for very different reasons. He shrugged mentally. "Ready?"

"Of course," the cold steely voice replied.

Knight glanced out of the windshield, watching as Dom lifted Letty slightly. Knight knew that the race was about to start, watching as she raised her arms, the engines of all four cars roaring with anticipation. Letty dropped her arms, and with a squeal of tires, the race began. Brian was first off the mark, the Skyline quickly gaining the advantage, although it didn't last long as the super-charged Trans-am caught up quickly, the Maxima slightly behind as the cars streaked along, the Impreza already lagging behind. Knight grinned to himself, and pressed the gas pedal down further, the light under the cars voice modulator switching from normal cruise, to pursuit mode, the black and silver Trans-am streaking into the lead.

The car's monitor came to life, displaying a graphic of the other 3 cars as they engaged nitrous, the Subaru drawing level as the Skyline and Maxima passed the Trans-am. Knight laughed. "Oh we can't have that can we," and hit the turbo. Karr shot forward, flashing past the Skyline and the Maxima in an instant, streaking away from the other three cars with a tremendous amount of speed, hurtling across the finish line 2 car lengths in front of both the Skyline and Maxima which were both ahead of the Subaru by a car length.

Karr gave a humourless chuckle, "piece of cake."

Knight just grinned. "Let's go get our winnings shall we?"

"And my 'pink slip' as you called it," Karr confirmed. "You are not putting me up as a prize again."

"Yes boss," Knight replied, rewarded by a snarling noise from the car as he skidded it round, and headed back to the start line.

**************************************************

"You got some fair speed out of that machine," Dom said as Knight got out of the car.

Knight grinned. "I told you."

"Mia, give the man his winnings," Dom said then asked. "What you got under the hood?"

Knight just grinned. "Maybe after we race."

"I'll hold you to that," Dom replied as Brian and Vince joined them. Jesse was stood behind them, looking slightly disappointed that he wasn't going to see under Karr's hood. Vince looked pissed, although his mood seemed to lighten as Nyssa wrapped her arms around him.

Brian grinned as he shook hands with Knight. "Not bad."

"You certainly took it better this time," Knight laughed.

Brian raised an eyebrow at him. "You ever heard of being a gracious winner cuz?"

Knight just smirked in response and took his prize from Mia. "Thanks Mia."

"Alright, everyone back to the market," Dom said. "We'll set up for the next race."

Knight watched as the cars started to peal out, then climbed back into Karr. "Alright, you heard him."

Karr's engine rumbled to life as the car headed after the other vehicles.

**************************************************

Knight noted with interest that the Mustang was no longer present as he pulled into the market. Dom was already setting up for the next race as he got out of the car as Tempest approached. "Nice race. You got some speed out of that Trans-am."

"Thanks," Knight replied. Tempest's smile took on a challenging edge. "Of course, you won't beat my Rex."

"That a challenge?"

Tempest spread her arms slightly. "Take it how you will."

"I think me and you are gonna have to take this to the blacktop."

"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied with a laugh. "But not tonight. My friend's already left, and it isn't much fun on your own."

"Know that feeling," Knight replied, face clouding slightly.

Tempest raised a slender eyebrow but sensed it was better not to ask. "Perhaps tomorrow night?"

"You're on," Knight grinned, the cloud disappearing from his expression.

Tempest grinned and gave a slight nod. "Well alright. I'll see you tomorrow then. Be ready for a beating," she winked, and then headed to her car.

Knight shook his head slightly, amused, then looked around. Brian waved him over. "Knight, got two more people for you to meet."

Knight nodded and headed over to where Brian was gathered with Leon, Nyssa and the blond haired girl with the Skyline, who was cosied up to Leon. "What's up Leon?"

The other man nodded. "You didn't do too bad before. Vince is pissed that he lost to you."

"Obviously you remember Leon," Brian interrupted. "This is Nyssa," he said gesturing to the dark haired girl Knight had seen with Vince, "and this is Kat. If you remember, she was at the Edge earlier."

"So that's where I knew the face from," Knight said, shaking hands with both girls. "I mean I saw you and your skyline in a magazine, but I knew it wasn't just that."

Kat just smiled. "I've got that a lot since then. Nyssa has one too, although she doesn't race as much as I do."

"I'll have to race you some night."

Nyssa laughed. "Your Trans-am ran pretty well tonight, don't get me wrong, but Kat's a lot better in her Skyline than Brian is."

"Maybe we'll find out some time," Knight responded.

She gave him a doubtful look. "Nice meeting you…?"

"Knight."

"I guess I'd better go calm Vince down."

"Only you can Nys," Leon laughed. "Ole Coyote becomes big marshmallow when you're around. Not that I said that of course."

"He didn't hear it from me," Nyssa winked, slapping Leon's shoulder playfully. "Catch you later Kat, guys."

"I'm going to have to say my goodbyes too," Kat said, straightening up. "Going to see how much I can take Dom for tonight," then kissed Leon's cheek and headed off. Leon brushed his hand over his face gently. "I should go play peace keeper."

"Alright man, catch you later," Brian said, then waited till Leon had broke off, and leaned on the hood of the Skyline. "So, how'd you like the team?"

"They're pretty cool I guess," Knight replied. "Although I get the feeling that I have you to thank for the fact they aren't openly hostile."

"Apart from Vince," Brian grinned.

Knight shook his head slightly. "Apart from Vince. And Dom."

"Nah, Dom's cool bro," Brian replied. "He'll come down on you a bit for a while, till he knows you, but when he does, he'll be cool with you. Just don't piss him off cuz."

Knight laughed –"That could be a problem."

Brian laughed as well –"Knowing you, your right."

"Hey, I'm not that bad, really," Knight protested.

Brian laughed, and gave him a slip of paper with an address. "Swing by after the races. Dom always throws a party afterwards." He looked up. "Guess we're ready for the next race. See you at the house."

**End of Chapter 5…**


	6. Chapter 6: House an a Club

_**Chapter 6: House an a club, I never seen dis before ummhmm**_

Knight suspected there was gonna be trouble from the second he arrived at the house. He shook his head slightly, hoping he'd be proved wrong. "Ok Karr, keep your scanners peeled."

"What will you be doing?"

"Getting noticed," Knight replied, getting out of the car and heading up the path. "Just keep an eye out, alright?"

"Acknowledged," the car replied, its twin scanners rippling back and forth. Knight tested the door, and headed in, hoping he was putting on a good show of confidence as he strolled in, taking a look around. Letty was sprawled on the floor playing Playstation, against Leon, who looked to be struggling to play while Kat nibbled on his neck from where she was sat across his lap. Vince was busy playing a riff on an electric guitar, before handing it to Nyssa and noticing Knight.

"Yo Dominic, what's the domestic doing here?"

"What you on bout V?" Toretto asked, coming out from the backroom and noticing Knight. Knight watched as the bigger mans jaw tensed and he stalked over. "I don't recall inviting you."

A noise came from the stairwell, as Brian rapidly descended. "Chill Dom, I did. He's a friend, just like Rome. You remember Rome right?" he asked, with mock innocence.

"Yeah, he ran his mouth off," Dom replied.

Brian grinned. "Yeah but you liked Rome. Eventually."

"Rome wasn't asking to get his lights knocked out. This guy is, he's a smartass."

"Smart mouth actually," Knight contradicted, ignoring the glare Dom gave him.

"See what I mean?"

"Dom, chill, get a Corona or something," Brian said. "Trust me ok?"

Dom gave him an unreadable look and clenched his jaw as he mentally debated with himself before making his decision. "keep him out of trouble."

"Thank bro," Brian answered, and steered Knight away from Dom. "You need to watch yourself cuz. Smart mouthing Dom, not a good idea."

Knight shrugged. "I didn't think. He's just in a bad mood coz Kat beat him."

"Yeah, I know you didn't," Brian grinned. "You never do. And she doesn't always beat him."

Knight gave him an irritated look. "What do I have to do to get a drink?"

"For starters, promise me you won't get me in any more trouble," Brian answered.

Knight shrugged. "You know what I think about promises."

"You changed your name to distance yourself from that," Brian pointed out. "Don't you think you ought to move on?"

"I have," Knight shrugged again. "But the lessons have still been learnt."

"Ok, now I know you need a drink," Brian gave up. "C'mon."

**************************************************

"How does he do it?" Leon asked, chucking the pad away in disgust, Kat laughing and tickling him after he'd lost again. Knight put his pad down and took a swig of his Corona as Leon continued to complain. "I mean, I was in a Skyline, how did he beat me in a damned corvette?"

"Maybe I'm just better at Gran Turismo than you," Knight grinned, then looked at Brian. "Damn I wish Tej was here. He'd have had so many bets riding on this."

Brian just grinned. "You know Tej, he'll bet on anything. Odds on ten straight wins, he'd be laughing if he'd backed you. Although I think ethically you're on dubious ground, bouncing your car off Leon's and his into the wall."

"Hey, it claims to be the most realistic driving simulator ever," Knight grinned, "if realistic is having cars that don't take damage, I'm not complaining," Knight finished, and then suddenly thought of Karr, knowing full well that he could crash Karr headfirst into a wall at well over a hundred, and not sustain any damage to the car. The thought made him laugh, and drew curious looks from the team. He grinned boyishly. "Private joke."

Brian picked up the pad. "You're going down this time bro, no way can you win again, ten wins in a row even on a game is a long enough streak."

"Care to make it interesting?" Knight challenged. "Twenty bucks says you lose."

"I'll see you on that," Brian replied.

Leon smirked. "I'll cover ten of that for you."

"Nice," Brian replied, selecting his car, like Leon heading for the same car as he drove for real. Knight scrolled through, choosing one of the RUF modified Porsche 911's. Two minutes later, and Brian discarded his pad as Knight broke out in laughter. Leon gave Brian a disgusted look as he dug out his wallet, before Brian stopped him. "I'll cover you for it since I let you down," he said, handing Knight his money.

Knight grinned then looked around. "Anyone else want to try their luck?"

Dom watched the scene from the kitchen doorway. While he played occasionally, the Playstation wasn't a major pastime of his. He couldn't see the point, particularly with racing games. Why bother, when you could race for real, was his opinion. Most of the team—his family—seemed at ease with Knight now, except Vince. To the point where they accepted Knight still being here, despite everyone else having gone home, even Kat's team, who just lived down the road. Nyssa seemed to keep her distance too, but he suspected that was more loyalty to Vince and taking his side than anything else. He wasn't even too bothered himself that Knight was still there, despite that the guy had actively got on his nerves before. He looked up as Mia said something. "Sorry, what?"

His sister gave him a teasing grin. "Did my eyes deceive me, or was the great Dom Toretto lost in thought?"

Dom gave her a vaguely annoyed look. "You got all the brains in the family, but that doesn't mean I can't think."

Mia smiled innocently. "So what was on your mind?"

"Brian's taste in friends," Dom admitted. "Both Knight and Rome can be very annoying, but they have a habit of growing on you too."

"What does that say about you?" Mia asked teasingly.

Dom gave her one of his looks. "Meaning?"

"Oh nothing," Mia grinned and headed to sit down besides Brian as he tossed the pad back to Leon after failing to win his money back.

"Alright, how do you do it?"

"Practise," Knight replied. "I've played all the GT games excessively. It's why I almost flunked my second year at uni."

"And your third?"

"I did flunk that year, different reason though. I had to resit which just meant more practise for me," Knight admitted.

Leon quickly handed the pad to someone else. "Well, if you had that much practise, I'm not playing you again."

"Good, you're too easy to beat," Knight shot back.

Kat quickly rose to Leon's defence. "How about you take me on, unless you're afraid to lose to a girl?"

"Sure," Knight answered, rising to the challenge. "If I win, you get to clean my Trans-am tomorrow. In that outfit from the magazine. Two coats of wax."

Leon looked ready to protest, but didn't get chance before Kat accepted. "Done, and if I win, you're my slave for the day, and have to do anything I say."

"I don't think so," Knight protested.

Vince laughed gruffly. "Chickening out punk?"

"Nope, but the bet isn't very even. Got a lot more to lose than I have to gain."

Kat laughed. "Isn't that the point? You're the one who was so sure of winning."

"Until you agreed to wash my car in what amounts to underwear," Knight shot back.

Kat gave him a dazzling smile. "You are backing out aren't you?"

"Hell no," Knight replied. "But I'm gonna suggest we go back to money on the bet."

"Has to be big stakes though," Kat agreed. "Tell you what…I won four large off Dom tonight. You won what, six large? Means you can afford this. Four large says I win."

"You're on," Knight agreed, and Kat laughed.

"You still chickened out before," she said, grabbing the second pad. Both of them picked R34 Skylines, and the game began. Four laps later, and Knight made a disgusted noise, and handed four grand to Kat, who just grinned and with a teasing tone. "Thank you."

Dom half smiled as he watched the scene unfold, till Jesse came out of the backroom. "What is it Jess?"

"You might want to take a look at this," Jesse said earnestly, handing Dom a printout.

Dom scanned it quickly. "So what does this mean? That he doesn't exist?"

"I don't know," Jesse answered, watching the others distractedly as Brian jogged over.

"Hey Dom, have we got space for Knight? He's got nowhere to stay tonight bro."

"Brian, how well do you know him?" Dom asked, eyes narrowed.

Brian shrugged. "Pretty well, why?"

"Is he a cop?"

"Hell no," Brian replied. "Or at least, not as far as I know, why?"

"Take a look at this," Dom said, handing over the printout.

Brian scanned it. "So? Doesn't prove anything. Other than that he ain't a cop cuz."

"How'd you work that out?" Dom asked.

Brian frowned slightly. "Ok, I was undercover and you did a background check on me, what does that tell you?"

Dom went in to what Brian called his "deathly calm" face as he considered what Brian said. "You think that if he was a cop, they'd have done better as a background."

"Yeah man," Brian replied. "Chill ok, he's cool. Besides, why would the cops be investigating us again?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.

Dom shrugged. "I don't know. But how'd you explain his background or lack there-of?"

Brian seemed to debate something for a moment. "Ok, all I know is, the guy showed up while I was helping Rome in Miami. We hit it off, became friends. I know he's from England originally, and that he's changed his name to distance himself from something. I don't know what it is, but it hurt him badly enough to still effect him after a few years, that's all I can tell you."

Dom looked over Brian's shoulder at the newcomer. "He can stay. Don't say anything to him about this conversation though. Not yet. Alright?"

"Sure bro," Brian answered, gave Dom a disarming grin, and bounced back over to the others.

Jesse made to join him, till Dom caught his arm. "Get on the computer. I want to know exact details about what happened in Miami with Rome and Brian. There's something we aren't being told."

"Sure Dom," Jesse smiled, giving Dom a worshipping look, like a child would give an older sibling, and headed back to the computer. Dom frowned slightly, and turned back to watching his friends and family.

**End of Chapter 6…**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7:**_

"Pop the trunk Karr," Knight said as he dropped down the steps outside the house in tracksuit bottoms and a workout vest. Karr obliged.

"Are we leaving already?"

"Nope."

"Then where are we going?"

"_You_ are staying here, and keeping an eye on things. I am going for my morning run," Knight answered, pulling a heavy kitbag out of the cars trunk, and fastening it on. "Might get away with you driving alongside normally, but not when we're undercover."

"I suppose," Karr admitted grudgingly.

Knight shut the car's trunk, patting it as he did so. "I'll be back soon," he said, then ran down the driveway, and headed off down the street.

**************************************************

Brian rubbed his eyes tiredly as he settled down at the table. "What time did you get up?"

"Did I wake you?" Mia asked, her tone loving and amused at the same time.

Brian gave her a boyish grin. "No, but your absence did."

Dom looked up from the newspapers sports section. "Happy as I am that you make Mia happy, that was not something you want to say in front of her older brother."

Mia rubbed his bald head affectionately. "Go back to your paper."

Dom harrumphed, and returned to his reading as Jesse bounded in with his usual enthusiasm. "Hey Bri, is your friend up yet?"

"Haven't seen him Jess, why?" Brian asked, as Mia put breakfast in front of him.

Jesse flipped a chair round and straddled it. "I was hoping he'd let me have a peek under that Trans-am's hood. I wanna know what he's running under there," he said enthusiastically.

Brian grinned. "You and your engines."

Jesse coloured slightly and mumbled. "They calm me down a bit."

"Yeah I know man," Brian replied, tugging the beanie Jesse was wearing down over his eyes playfully. "I'll go see if he's up. He might not murder me for waking him up," he said.

Mia tutted slightly. "It'll go cold…"

Brian kissed her cheek. "No it won't," he answered before he headed into the sitting room. A few seconds later his voice came back . "He ain't here."

"His car still outside?" Dom called back, without looking up.

There was a bang and a muffled curse from Brian as he tripped over something. "Yeah."

"Then he'll be back," Dom said.

Brian shrugged as he came back in. "I know. Just isn't like him to be up this early."

"People change," Mia said softly. Just look at us."

"I guess," Brian said, smiling at her, then took a mouthful of his breakfast. "Mmh, this is good."

Mia gave him a grateful smile and headed back into the kitchen.

**************************************************

When Brian left for the Edge five minutes later, Knight was outside, doing pull-ups on one of the awning supports. "Hey man, when did you become such a fitness freak?"

"Life's all about self improvement Bri," Knight replied, not looking at him, or breaking rhythm. "Figured I needed to start taking care of myself a bit better."

"I guess," Brian grinned. "Still, it's not like you to be up before midday either."

Knight grunted in response, and dropped down from the support, and pulled off the kitbag. "Can't waste the whole day."

Brian gave him an "I'm not buying it" look. "Your full of it bro."

Knight shrugged as he pulled a towel from the bag and rubbed away the sweat from his workout. "You're gonna be late for work."

Brian checked his watch. "What are your plans for the day?"

"Nothing much really. Looking up a few friends maybe."

"Alright," Brian answered. "Meet me at the Edge about four. I'll take you to DT, show you around."

"Alright, cool," Knight nodded, stuffing his bag back in car's trunk. Brian slapped his shoulder and got into his Skyline. With a squeal of tires, the Nissan took off down the street and around the bend. Knight scratched the back of his neck and knelt beside Karr. "Anything to tell me?"

"Nothing."

"You were listening right?" Knight asked, his tone amused.

Karr made a snarling noise. "Of course."

"Alright. Call Michael, tell him that we've got into the street racing world here, and that we've earned the trust of the main suspects. I'm gonna get a shower."

The cars scanner rippled once in acknowledgement as Knight got to his feet and headed back indoors.

**************************************************

"Man this car is tight," Brian said as they pulled over. "I mean, for a domestic."

"You have no idea how special this car is," Knight replied, smiling slightly as he heard Karr's scanner ripple with pride. "This car can do all kinds of things."

"Uh huh," Brian said, with a disbelieving roll of his eyes. "C'mon, I'll show you round," he offered, shutting the Trans-am's door.

Knight nodded and muttered under his breath. "Keep your scanner's peeled, get all you can on the building," to Karr, then got out and followed Brian round to the entrance. The lower half of the building was painted white, a metal sign proclaiming "DT Garage" in big blue letters. Two caravans were parked behind the fence, to the left and the entrance to the garage was on the right. A black Civic was parked with its hood open, but Knight couldn't see who was working at it until Brian called out.

"S'up guys?"

"How you living, Chumpy?" Letty asked, popping her head out from the Civic's hood, her cheeks grimy with engine oil and sweat.

Knight raised an eyebrow and looked and Brian. "Chumpy? I thought your nickname was Bullitt?"

"Bullitt?" Letty asked incredulously. "Where the hell did you get that idea from?"

"Back in Miami, Brian got known as Bullitt, he was the man to beat," Knight explained, then looked puzzled as Letty almost killed herself laughing.

"Yo Dom, you heard this? Chumpy here gets called Bullitt in Miami!"

Brian gave his best 'little boy' grin as Dom came out of the small back office. "You gotta be kidding."

"I was running a Skyline then too bro," Brian offered.

Dom gave him a disbelieving look. "So what happened to it?"

"Cops got it with an ESD," Knight smirked. "Fried the electrics. One of the sweetest rides in the world and Brian still couldn't outrun them. Not like me."

"Now I know you're shittin' us, no way you'd escape the cops with your T-top, no matter how good it is, not if a Skyline couldn't," Dom replied.

Knight smirked. "I was running a BMW M3 CLS at the time. And had a bit of luck."

"No real racer relies on luck," Nyssa said quietly from the office doorway, giving Knight a distrustful look, before turning to Brian. "Can you run this order over to Harry's for me?"

"If you don't need me here, sure," Brian answered, looking at Dom. Dom grunted slightly. "We're quiet today, only the Civic to be worked on. Run it over to Harry's and take the afternoon off."

"Alright man, cool," Brian nodded. "I'll just give Knight the grand tour first."

Dom nodded in acknowledgement. "Back to the paperwork I guess. I hate paperwork."

"I take care of most of it for you," Nyssa reminded him. "So stop complaining."

Dom gave her a dirty look as Brian and Letty struggled to hide a grin. Brian grinned and punched Knight's arm. "Ok, so this is DT Garage. Little office at the back there. Tools here there, everywhere, and part displays. Upstairs there's a pretty much unused staff room, and a parts store, plus the odd car manual for reference, although those are used less often than the staff room."

"Not bad for its size," Knight offered.

Letty looked at him from where she was working. "Hey, we're the best in LA for tuning."

"I was expecting something a little more like Tej's place in Miami," Knight shrugged.

Brian shook his head. "Man, Tej's place is ridiculous, nothing there more than a couple of months old, best that money can buy. And while the first part may not be true here, the second is."

"So what are the trailers for?"

"Race wars," Brian said, with an air of mysticism. "Holy grail of street racers. Christmas and new year all rolled in to one."

"Sounds impressive," Knight said, glancing around, then back at the Civic. "Whose is that?"

"A client's," Letty said archly. "And its being a pain in the ass. Piston housings too tight, and so it isn't running smoothly."

Brian laughed as Knight gave her a blank look. "Let, that means nothing to Knight here. He knows nothing about engines."

Letty raised a curious eyebrow. "You're a racer, but you don't know engines? I mean, I know few work on their own engines, that's my job, but they know their engines well enough to know when something's wrong."

"I can do the odd bit of tuning," Knight said defensively. "Nothing major though I'm afraid. Just tweaking for best performance, leave the hard work to others. Way out of my league. I'm more about the racing than the engine."

"So it would seem," Letty replied, then turned back to the Civic's engine. Knight raised an eyebrow at her dismissiveness. "C'mon Chumpy, I'll drop you back at Harry's to pick up your Skyline."

Letty chuckled as Brian made a noise of protest, and started arguing with Knight as they walked out of DT.

**************************************************

**Evening**

**************************************************

"Where are you two going?" Dom asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Brian gave his best 'innocent' expression. "Just going to pick something up."

"An hour before races?" Dom asked suspiciously . "What are you two up to?"

Knight and Brian shared a look and answered at the same time. "Nothing."

"Right," Dom said, giving them a look that said he knew they were lying. "Don't be late for races."

Knight bristled slightly. "I'm not part of your team. Don't try pushing me around and telling me what to do."

"And don't try giving me back talk in my house," Dom replied, his jaw set. Knight narrowed his eyes at him slightly, but backed down, although there was an edge of sarcasm in his tone as he replied.

"So can we go?"

Dom gave him an 'I'm not amused' look. "Go on. Do whatever it is you plan to do, and get to races."

"We hear ya Dom," Brian grinned. "C'mon bro, let's go."

Knight shrugged and headed out of the house, not noticing the apologetic look Brian shot Dom before they headed out.

**************************************************

"Where we going bro?" Brian asked. "I mean, we're not far from Nyssa's place, and as Rome would say, these are some big old rich peoples homes."

"I know. My employer keeps a beach house here," Knight explained. "I'm crashing here while I'm in town. Even storing my Beemer for me," he grinned slightly. "Pretty cool right?"

He opened the Trans-am's window as they pulled up to an iron gate and punched buttons on the combination lock. With a mechanical whir, the gates opened, closing behind them after the Trans-am passed through and pulled up to the house, much more modest sized than Brian would have thought. "So what exactly do you do?"

"Bit of this, bit of that," Knight shrugged as the car pulled to a stop in the drive-way. "It's complicated."

"Complicated. Right," Brian said. "And what complication arose that you got to crash in a pad like this? Show off."

"Yeah, that's why I drive a Trans-am, rather than a flashy Skyline," Knight retorted, opening the garage door and punching in the alarm code. "If I recall, you were the one that used to show up and purge your nitrous to let everyone know you were there."

"Good times," Brian laughed. "Can't argue that one."

"Nope," Knight answered, a silent sigh of relief as he saw the BMW sitting silently in the garage, glad that Michael had come through with getting the car here to back up his story. He ran his hands down the car's bodywork lovingly before pulling a large dust cover over the machine. Brian frowned. "You aren't trading cars while we're here?"

"Nah," Knight replied. "She hasn't been run in a while, needs to be checked out before I race her again. I just came for the keys. May get Jesse to take a look at her though so that I have the option."

Knight closed the garage back up, hoping Brian hadn't realised he was lying as he locked up. Moments later, he was back with Karr, rolling the sleek black car down the driveway and hit the streets.

**End of Chapter 7…**


	8. Chapter 8: 1 Finger while shifting gears

_Big shout to Tempest, thanks for beta'ing, and help with the cars and characters!_

_If you're in the UK, check out the new Knight Rider at 8pm, Tuesday nights on SciFi!  
Its pulled in the second highest ratings for that channel of all time, and its audience has increased since it started. If you're in the US, go watch it on NBC, or sign the campaign for a second season at Knight Rider Online!_

_Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated!_

_**Chapter 8: They'll Only Get One Finger While I'm Shifting Gears**_

Dom was far from happy as he and the team arrived, Brian nowhere to be found, only slightly mollified by the crowd of racers gathering round to show their appreciation as he arrived, his RX-7 rolling forward in neutral as he gunned the engine. Keeping his annoyance from his face, he started setting up the night's first race and shot a look at Mia. "Where the hell is Brian?"

"I'm his fiancé, not his keeper," Mia replied, giving her brother an annoyed look. The sound of a powerful engine revving drew their attention to where the crowd was parting to let a car past, its driver purging the car's NOS in puffs of smoke as it pulled up. Dom turned purple when it stopped, its engine revving right up in the same way he did, the car's NOS purging once more before its driver got out. "What the hell took you so long Brian?"

Brian gave him a wide grin. "What's up Dom?"

"Where the hell have you two been?" Dom growled furiously.

Brian shrugged. "Knight just needed to swing by his bosses place, pick up some keys."

"So why did you go?" Letty asked.

"You know me, I just love to gossip, snooping around a rich persons house is a dream come true," Brian joked.

Dom shared a look with Vince, but neither said anything as Knight joined them.

Instead Dom chose. "Nice of you to join us."

"Sorry we're late," Knight replied, staring back at the other man, refusing to back down.

There was a moment of tense silence before Dom turned his attention back to business. "You racing tonight Brian?"

"Nah man," Brian answered. "Something just feels wrong with the Skyline somehow. Want to get Jesse to look her over before I give her a proper run."

Knight gave him an irritated look but didn't say anything as Dom asked. "How bout you?"

"I'm s'posed to be racing someone tonight," Knight replied, looking around, then grinned. "Hey Temp. Can we expect a storm tonight?"

Tempest rolled her eyes as she walked over. "Real funny, like I never heard that before," and flipped him off. "You're lucky you're cute, or I'd lay the smack down on your ass."

"Oh yeah? I'm just playing. You know how it is," Knight replied then asked. "You settle for a run tonight?"

"Only if you're ready to get your ass handed to you by a girl," Tempest replied quickly.

Dom chuckled. "Girl knows how to throw down. Two large people."

Knight handed over his money, as did Tempest. Two others handed over money, but Knight didn't recognise either. Dom counted up. "Alright, let's roll!"

Cars started, and peeled out of the street, heading for one of the cities main strips.

**************************************************

The cars lined up as a red line was painted across the road surface, Tempest's elaborately painted RX-7 on one end, Karr on the other. Knight checked the cars between them, an NSX and a Nissan 350z. Both were good cars, and according to Karr's scans, both were fully tuned, and ready to roll. He knew in any other car, they'd probably be stiff competition, but not to Karr. He didn't bother scanning Tempest's car. He wasn't bothered about the other two, but he didn't want to know any potential weaknesses Karr could pick out from it, although he doubted there were any. The girl had a lot of confidence in her RX-7, and he suspected it was well placed. She was obviously proud of it.

He listened to the CB radio as Leon let Dom know they were clear to race, Karr's system easily picking up the transmission. He gunned the Trans-am's engine, hearing the cars engine pick up in its bass rumble, just barely able to hear the roar of Tempest's engine over the noise of the other cars as his eyes focused on Dom, waiting for the go. The cars forward scanner was rippling back and forth with anticipation, its internal monitors displaying the car's status, before Dom signalled the go.

Knight was startled as Tempest's RX-7 leapt off the line, rapidly accelerating away from them. "Damn, didn't expect that," he muttered, pulling away, the other two cars pacing him at first, as he continued the show that Karr was as regular as the other cars present as he slowly gained on Tempest. "Karr, give me a visual on her."

The vehicle responded wordlessly, the RX-7's driver side window appearing on his monitor. Tempest wasn't even looking back as the gap between the cars narrowed. As Karr drew level, Tempest looked over, stuck her tongue out and gave Knight a cheeky wave. A second later, her 7 shot forward, closing rapidly on the line. Knight cursed, and hit the turbo, Karr rocketing forward in pursuit mode, just narrowly beating Tempest over the line, the other two cars crossing behind them seconds later. Knight grinned. "Hah!"

"That was close," Karr commented.

Knight shrugged as he turned the car around and headed for the starting line. "It has to be, or we'd blow our cover."

"I suppose," Karr replied moodily.

Knight grinned. "You just want to show how superior you are. Show off."

Karr made a snarling noise, and Knight laughed as the car headed back to the starting line.

**************************************************

Knight grinned as he got out of the car, bumping his fist against Brian's in celebration, and meeting the look Dom gave him. "Impressed?"

"Your winnings," Dom said, refusing to be baited as he handed over the money.

Knight smirked. "Thank you."

"Right," Dom narrowed his eyes, before grunting dismissively and turning away to set up the next race.

Knight put Brian in a headlock and messed his hair with the knuckles. "See that Bullitt?"

"Chumpy," Letty corrected absently. Brian shoved Knight off and gave him a playful punch, as they started to mess around before Tempest came over.

"Nice race."

Knight grinned. "You nearly had me. You got a lot of acceleration, and over these distances, its acceleration that's more important. Gives you an edge, and gets you in front quickly."

"You got lucky," Tempest grinned. "I'll get you next time."

"Oh yeah?" Knight asked. "I guess we'll have to go again sometime then."

"Damn straight boy," Tempest replied, punching his arm. "Congrats though, can't take that you won away from you," she finished, then looked over his shoulder. "I gotta go, that's my home girl over there," she said, and headed past him, turning round to look at him. "Congrats again."

Knight watched as she walked towards two people, recognising the red and white Mustang from the night before, still trying to place where he recognised the scheme from. Her friend had dark hair falling down her back, but he couldn't see her face. Knight recognised the Asian from the file Michael had given him and nodded towards him. "Who are they? I could swear I recognise that Mustangs paint job."

Brian looked at him, a dark look passing over his features quickly. "Ricky Tran. The team has history with his family. The girl with him, I don't know much about, other than that she drives for him. That's about it. She hangs out with Tempest, you met her the other night, raced her tonight."

"I know, the girl with the storm car."

"One and the same," Dom interrupted. "You know the other girl?"

"I don't know," Knight replied irritably. "I recognise her cars paint job, but I can't recall ever having seen the car before."

As he said that, the girl turned around, and with a start he realised that while he didn't know her, he did recognise her. She raised an eyebrow him curiously before conversing with Tempest and the Asian, then slid slowly into her Mustang, regarding Knight coolly before she drove away.

Brian looked at Knight following the display. "So what the hell was that about? You know her?"

Knight was saved from having to answer by police sirens, everyone scrambling to their cars. Knight slid quickly into the Trans-am. "Check your files relating to this case Karr. If that doesn't work, cross reference with law enforcement databases, I want to know she is. While you're at it, get me everything you can on Tempest, Hector, Edwin and Toretto."

He cursed as a cop car swerved to a halt in front of the car, the cops sliding out quickly and drawing a bead on him. "Shut down the engine and get out of the car!"

"Like hell," Knight muttered. "Karr?"

"Agreed," the AI replied, the Trans-am slamming into reverse with a screech of tyres, spinning the sleek machine around. The dashboard lighting indicated the car was now in pursuit mode as Karr effortlessly slalomed the Trans-am through gaps between police cars until they were clear, the engine surging with a burst of power and thrust, the car rocketing forward, leaving the police car trailing far behind as the Trans-am sped down the road, Knight relaxing in the driver's seat, taking small comfort from the cars speed.

Karr regarded his driver quietly, his scanners active and monitoring his drivers vitals with interest as the adrenaline rush left his system. Karr ran a scan through his databanks, through his own experiences, and those of Kitt, wishing he'd put as an extensive research in to human behaviour as Kitt had, to understand the appeal of these races, and the subsequent police chases.

His own experiences with Tony and Rev, the two criminals who'd reactivated him after his long slumber hadn't prepared him for this. Both of those men had been terrified while he'd evaded the police. His experience with John, the beach boy who'd pulled Karr from the sand shortly before his original shell had been destroyed had been different.

While John had been concerned about the police, he was exhilarated by the chase. Before Karr had proceeded to manipulate him and terrify his girlfriend. Karr reflected briefly on the way he had interacted with those individuals, contrasting his behaviour in the past to his behaviour now. To his new programming, his behaviour at the time puzzled him. With Tony and Rev, it didn't. Then he'd obeyed his original programming. His behaviour later, with John however, did confuse him. Karr delved into the SSC's computers, and found what he was looking for, the file regarding him.

He hesitated, knowing he wasn't supposed to be able to access the file, just as Kitt wasn't. Not that Kitt would have attempted to access it when he'd been forbidden to, Karr thought to himself. After a moment, Karr broke the encryption, and began to look through the files. Some related to events he remembered, before the destruction of his original shell. Details of all that had been done since he'd been reprogrammed. He came to what had been done in the time in-between. He scanned it with interest. According to the file, the parts that had been salvaged after his original shell's destruction were extensively damaged, apart from his well protected CPU. Despite that damage, the engineers had found evidence of some salt water damage before leaving his CPU in storage for over two decades before rebuilding him and teaming him with Knight.

Karr wondered if that salt water damage was why his behaviour had altered in those two years. It was unlikely his CPU would still be functioning if it had been damaged by salt water, he knew that, although he knew Kitt's had survived being dunked in a lake. He decided that, true or not, he'd rather believe it was salt water damage that had corrupted his circuits and thus his core programming, to explain his behaviour. He tried to delve further, and found further protection, and encryption that was beyond his abilities to crack.

With the equivalent of a mental frown, Karr left the file, and pushed his recent thoughts into his memory circuits, musing how being a computer had its advantages. It seemed more advantageous to be able to put aside old data and forget about it when circumstances dictated. Karr's scanners rippled steadily as they sped away. "I have evaded our pursuers. I do not detect any police in the local vicinity, nor can I locate any pursuers via satellite navigation. You may resume manual control now."

"She's all yours Karr."

"As you wish."

"What did you find on our new friends?"

"Edwin Atkins has been in trouble with the law on numerous occasions. Speeding, dangerous driving, reckless endangerment, multiple traffic citations. Hector Guglielmi's record has similar offences, speeding, traffic citations. It appears he owns a small club which has been cited for violence and substance abuse. Mr Toretto has a long history of driving offences, and a conviction for aggravated assault. Ms Brennan has no convictions or prior arrests, however she is on the watch list as a suspected street racer, as well as several outstanding speeding tickets."

Knight snorted. "Nice to know the LAPD is on the ball there. What did you find on the other girl?"

"Jade Barrett, also uses the alias 'Jewels'. Multiple speeding infractions, reckless endangerment, destruction of property and destruction of police property. She also has convictions for grand theft auto, as well as outstanding warrants for arrest."

"Now that's interesting," Knight raised an eyebrow.

Karr was silent for a moment. "I do not understand why such a woman would be involved in crime. According to my data, she comes from a wealthy background. Financial records suggest that she also has legitimate wealth, as well as her illegally obtained financial gains."

"She's a thrill seeker. She doesn't pull those things for money, she does it for fun, for excitement," Knight explained.

"I do not understand."

"I'm not sure I can explain it in terms you'd understand," Knight sank back into the seat. "Scan my vitals."

"Your vitals are elevated, particularly your pulse and respiration rate."

"It's a reaction to the chase, a rush of adrenalin, excitement. That's what she's after when she races, or whatever else," Knight let out a slow breath. "Take us to the SSC's safe house. I need some sleep."

Karr wordlessly dropped out of pursuit mode and engaged the auto cruise, taking control of the sleek trans-am and drove onwards.

**End of Chapter 8…**


	9. Chapter 9: Try to catch me riding dirty

_**Chapter 9: Try to catch me riding dirty**_

"Dominic?"

"What is it Jesse?"

"I got that stuff you wanted Dom," Jesse beamed like a kid who knew he'd done good. "Found out something really interesting."

"Yeah?" Dom asked, glancing up as he took the papers from Jesse.

The kid nodded. "I didn't find anything at first, other than what Brian had told us, and what we knew. Then I figured maybe I was looking in the wrong place, so I took a look at Rome's rap-sheet."

Dom was scouring the paper. "Wait a minute…that's…"

"Uh huh," Jesse said, losing his smile. "Brian went to Miami before Rome got released from house arrest in Barstow."

"Then I guess Brian has some explaining to do," Dom frowned, getting to his feet. "Don't mention this to anyone, especially Brian. I'll deal with it."

**************************************************

"Good morning," Mia said softly as Knight came up the driveway into the back yard, joining the group for breakfast, the morning warm and sunny enough for the group to be outdoors to eat, rather than in the kitchen.

Knight gave her a warm smile as he sat down. "Morning all."

Nyssa cleared her throat. "So what did I miss last night?"

"Jesse taking off," Vince remarked slyly.

Brian put on a confused look. "Didn't everyone after the cops showed up?"

"Nah dawg, Jesse had already had slipped out of there early," Leon grinned. "Then slunk back in, tail between his legs during last night's sixties monster movie marathon."

"Not like Jesse to leave races early," Brian noted. "He's too into it all normally."

"Why'd he slink back in," Nyssa asked.

"The reason all men sneak in with their tail between their legs," Dom put in between mouthfuls of his breakfast. "It was a girl."

"Right on brother," Leon laughed.

Letty glared at him. "You need to shut the hell up. And you Dominic Giovanni Toretto…" the group oohed at her use of his full name, showing how annoyed she was with him as she continued, "had better watch your step. Eyeing skank's last night and now showing what a chauvinistic grease monkey you are."

Dom grinned and pulled her to him. "I love when you get all mad and fired up."

Nyssa made an irritated noise, as if clearing her throat. "So who was the girl?"

"It was Veronica," Vince snorted, as Jesse came in, and ignoring Letty's scowl. She was the only one around the table who didn't break out in laughter besides Jesse, who suddenly looked sheepish.

"Look who it is," Leon smirked. "The mad scientist. Find a new body to work on last night?"

"So long as he got the covers off before he started the detailing," Dominic added gruffly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Jesse flushed with colour and he scrunched down in his chair as the other guys ribbed him good naturedly, taking it with good humour. Knight sat back quietly, reflecting on how the team was more than that, that they were a family first and a team second. The ribbing continued for several minutes before Mia interrupted. "C'mon guys, give him a break will you?"

There were a few more chuckles and comments before Dom called a halt. "Alright, alright. C'mon, knock it off give the kid a break. Eat your breakfast so we can head out."

**************************************************

"Brian, a word."

Brian glanced at his watch. "Dom man, I'm gonna be late for work."

"Tell Harry to take it up with me," Dom replied, motioning Brian into the living room, glad that the rest of the team had headed for the garage. "Alright Brian, this is one of those times you need to be very clear about what you say."

Brian recognised those words, and the tone with which they were delivered. Dom had same the same thing the night Vince had caught him snooping round Hector's while investigating the truck heists, and struggled to keep the worry from his voice. "What's up Dom?"

"Maybe you can tell me," Dom said, handing him a printout. Brian closed his eyes as he read it. "Shit."

"What's going on Brian?" Dom asked, his voice calm, but with an edge of danger. "You a cop again?"

"Nah man, I swear," Brian said, looking worried.

Dom nodded slightly, more to himself. "Can you explain what happened in Miami then? I mean, you told us you had to go help a friend, but Rome wasn't even in Miami then. And somehow, his police record has been cleared, apart from the archives. How'd that happen Brian?"

"Dom, you have to believe I'm not a cop again," Brian answered. "But…ok, Bilkins asked for my help. He had a job to do in Miami, helping customs, and they needed drivers."

"So you helped the cops," Dom said, his tone questioning as he folded his muscular arms across his chest. Brian bit his lip slightly. "I made a deal. Dom, you know they'd been watching us since the heists man, Bilkins arranged for that to stop. Cleared our records, cleared Rome's record, got him off house arrest. Cleared my record…"

"Your record?"

"Yeah," Brian answered. "They logged some things as unconfirmed, you know, aiding and abetting, obstruction of justice. They just couldn't prove it."

"So they did all that…what did you do for them?"

"Me and Rome drove for them, helped put this dude behind bars, Carter Verone," Brian answered. "I stayed down there a while, to make it look legit, helped Rome set up a garage, then came back."

Dom looked unconvinced, and still slightly angry. Brian sighed. "Dom, I had to, I did it for the team."

"And did Mia factor in? Do you know how much she missed you while you were there?" Dom asked, his tone getting more agitated.

Brian winced. "She knew what I was doing Dom, I told her. We agreed we wouldn't tell you, coz you'd get like this. We knew it'd be hard, but that we'd come through it ok, she understood why I had to do it."

Dom seemed to mull it over for a while, before Brian tentatively asked, "Dom?"

"You aren't back doing police work, aren't going back to it?"

"Nah man," Brian answered. "I chose you guys over that. Yeah I miss it occasionally. All I ever wanted was to be a cop. But I don't regret the choice I made. You guys are my family, that hasn't changed."

"Alright," Dom nodded. "And Knight was just a friend you made there, he ain't a cop?"

"Yeah man, Knight's just Knight," Brian grinned slightly. "He doesn't have the temperament to be a cop bro."

"Alright," Dom replied, visibly cooling down. "This stays between us then. I'll have to explain to Jesse, he dug this stuff up after all. You can tell Mia if you want, but other than that, it stays between us."

"Cool," Brian grinned. "So I can go to work now?"

"Yeah," Dom answered. "Go on, get outta here. Tell Harry I'll be dropping by later."

"Gotcha," Brian nodded as he grabbed the Skyline's keys and headed out the door.

**************************************************

**That Night**

**************************************************

Dom tapped his foot impatiently. "C'mon guys. I know we have to make an entrance, but that doesn't mean being late. Move it."

Knight flopped into a chair in the den. "I'm not going."

"The hell you aren't, go get ready," Dom responded, annoyed when Knight merely looked at him, but made no move. "I said go get ready."

"And I said I'm not going," Knight replied.

Dom gave him a disgusted look. "You're not going to race?"

"Nope, not tonight. I have other things to take care of," Knight replied. "If you have a problem with that, tough."

"You really got a pair on you, don't you punk?" Vince growled as the team assembled.

Knight glared at him. "If I don't, you got your ass kicked by a girl."

Dom resisted the urge to smirk. "You watch your mouth. V, cool it. Save it for the races."

"Yeah man, let's go race," Letty added. "Chill out bro."

Brian hung back as the team headed for their cars as Knight watched them leave. "He's real friendly."

"Vince doesn't like strangers," Brian shrugged apologetically. "You gonna be ok here bro?"

"Like I said, other things to do," Knight shrugged. "I'll be fine. I might show later, unless I decide to go find a bar."

"Alright man, enjoy yourself," Brian replied with a friendly grin, heading out of the door after the rest of the team. Knight waited until the engine noise had faded, and keyed his comm. Link. "Alright Karr, fire it up. We got work to do pal."

**End of Chapter 9…**


	10. Chapter 10: hittin overload

_**Chapter 10: Burnin' up the road, hitting overload**_

"Alright Karr, can you scan the building?" Knight asked as the black and silver Trans-am glided to a stop outside DT Garage. Karr made an annoyed sound. "Of course I can. Scanning."

Knight waited patiently, knowing that the cars gold scanner light would be rippling back and forth as it did its job. He turned his attention to the monitor, waiting for the car to display the results. The screen stayed dark. "Karr?"

"Yes?"

"Have you finished the scan?"

"Yes."

"Can you show me on screen please?" Knight asked through gritted teeth.

"I can do one better," Karr replied smugly as two blue lights lit up underneath the car's windshield. Knight raised an eyebrow as a HUD appeared, seemingly on the windshield, a 'window' opening up containing a highly detailed three dimensional model of the building, far better than anything the Knight 2000 had been capable of when first constructed. He paused as Karr added in more details, including the presence of the office computer and the security system.

"Bonnie's been busy."

"I believe Professor Graiman designed it for the Three Thousand. Bonnie installed one in me. What do you think?"

"It's impressive," Knight replied, before returning to business. "How good is that security system?"

"It is well equipped to provide its function," Karr replied. "However, I can easily disable it with my micro-jammer."

"Do it."

The monitor's image shifted, zooming in on the main area of the garage and closing down on the central alarm unit, before stripping the casing away and moving down to the specific components. On screen, a sidebar appeared, the micro-jammer indicating it was activated, thin blue lines swirling in from the edges of the main graphic, forming a circle around the alarm panel as Karr's systems beeped, and produced a tone that sounded slightly like an electronic door being deactivated and opened. With that noise, the lights on the box went dead, as Karr's voice announced with its usual steely tone. "Security system disabled."

"Alright," Knight replied, stepping out of the car, pulling an earpiece from the glove compartment. "Find somewhere to hide so you don't draw attention to yourself."

The car responded by coming to life with a rumble, and glided off stealthily. Knight sighed to himself, and leapt onto the fence, climbing it rapidly and swinging over the top, dropping down on the other side. He fumbled with the door for a few minutes, wishing that he'd paid more attention when Michael had taught him how to pick locks, before giving up. "Karr, can you do something about this lock?"

Karr scanned it quickly, its image flashing onto his monitor, despite the lack of his driver. "Of course. I can also describe the make, model and serial number of the device."

"Just opening it will be fine."

Unknown to Knight, the graphic on Karr's screen flashed red three times, and the lock clicked open. That was audible to Knight as Karr's steely voice came over the ear-mike. "Done."

"You are a regular wonder on wheels."

"I am aware of that," Karr replied.

Knight grinned as he slipped into the garage, panning a torch back and forth, briefly. He noted that the Civic was still there, and decided to examine it later. First things first though, he thought to himself, and turned on the computer. "Ok Karr, do your thing. Find me a stock inventory. Then scan the store room upstairs, and tell me if they don't match up. And while you access the computer, find anything you can about jobs done, and include that in your analysis of the part listings."

"As you wish," Karr's steely voice came back.

Knight headed over to the Civic, and examined the tyres. "Same make of tyres. Shame I can't turn on the under chassis neon."

"Do you really think its one of the cars used?" Karr asked over the comm. link.

Knight frowned. "I don't know. The tyres are fairly common, particularly among street racers. And Civic's aren't difficult to get hold off either. Plus I doubt they'd be stupid enough to pull the jobs, and then service the cars they're using at Dom's garage. No-one could be that stupid."

"Not even Vince?" Karr asked. Knight chuckled. "No, not even Vince. How's your analysis going?"

"It's finished," Karr answered matter of factly.

Knight waited patiently for a few minutes. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"What did you find Karr?" Knight sighed.

Karr's reply was blunt and to the point. "I haven't found any discrepancies. Yet."

"Any suggestions?"

"Maybe we should investigate at Harry's?" Karr suggested. "We may find something there. Just because there's nothing to find here, doesn't mean they aren't connected."

"You think that they bought stuff at Harry's and not logged it here?"

"It's a possibility," Karr answered.

Knight nodded thoughtfully. "We'll check it out tomorrow."

"May I suggest you leave the garage quickly?" Karr asked. "I've been monitoring the police band. Someone's reported a possible break in at this address, and an officer has been dispatched to investigate."

"Karr," Knight replied. "Next time, just tell me the cops are coming." He groaned silently to himself and turned the computer off, and exited the garage. "Alright come get me Karr," he said through the comm. link and climbed back over the fence. As he dropped to the ground, the black and silver Trans-am pulled up, the door opening automatically. Knight slid over the cars hood, and got in, the door shutting behind as the Trans-am pulled away automatically.

"Where to now?"

Knight shrugged as he settled in and took the wheel, switching the car to manual piloting. "Any suggestions?"

"Racing," Karr replied eagerly.

Knight laughed at the vehicles enthusiasm. It made a refreshing change to the cars usual attitude. He shook his head slightly with amusement. "Alright. Let's go race."

**************************************************

Knight arrived just as the other cars were returning to the market street. He guessed the first race had already taken place as he got out of the Trans-am, and headed towards the team. "So who won?" he asked, before frowning slightly. "Who raced for that matter?"

"Chumpy won," Letty told him with a grin, as Brian climbed out of the blue Skyline looking smug, until Letty shot him down. "I think it was more the car than skill though."

Knight grinned slightly. "Who'd you run against?"

"Leon for starters," Brian replied. "That guy with the NSX you ran against the night before, and some guy with an RX-8."

"There gonna be another race?" Knight asked. "Changed my mind about racing tonight. I'm in."

"You won't win," Dom said. "No way can you beat a Skyline in your Trans-am."

"You don't race the car, you race the driver," Knight replied. Dom shrugged. "Your funeral. You're racing Kat."

"Shit," Knight shook his head, slightly amused, heading back over to the team, wearing a mock dismayed face, watching as Dom got two more drivers, and called for everyone to head out.

**************************************************

Knight pulled the Trans-am to the start line, pulling alongside Kat's black R34 Skyline GTR V-spec. The tiger on the side was a good metaphor for the cars phenomenal power although he knew that wasn't the reason she'd used it. On Karr's other side, an Arden Jaguar A-Type pulled up, and on the other side of Kat's Skyline, an Evo VIII. He doubted either car could keep up with the Skyline. He knew Karr could beat it if he wanted, but that would blow their cover wide open. "Ok Karr, we want to keep it close, but we have to throw this. No way is anyone going to believe a Trans-am beating an R34."

Karr made a noise of protest, but Knight shushed him. "Just remember we have a job to do."

The car stayed silent, but Knight knew it was sulking. He revved the engine, keeping it ready to go, hearing the noise of the other cars alongside. The go was called, and he took off, letting the Trans-am take the lead at first. The other cars caught up, Kat drawing alongside. He marvelled how someone so small could keep control over a car as big and powerful as the Skyline. "What do you think Karr, nitrous or turbo?"

"Both," Karr replied as the Skyline shot forward, Kat triggering her nitrous. The other two cars struggled to keep up as Knight hit Karr's turbos, then pressed nitrous. The car surged forward with incredible power. Knight struggled to keep the car under control as Karr's monitor flashed up a warning signal as the black and silver Trans-am vibrated, drawing level with the Skyline. Kat flashed him a cocky smile, then found NOS 2, the second shot pushing the Skyline forward. Knight didn't dare push Karr any harder now, regretting what he'd done. He knew the car could have kept up with the Skyline, without hitting the nitrous at the same time as the turbo, but he'd done it anyway. The Skyline crossed the line ahead of him, Karr crossing second, the other two cars passing seconds later. Knight pulled the Trans-am to a stop, smoke hissing from the cars hood. "You ok Karr?"

"I think hitting the NOS while using the turbos was a mistake," Karr informed him. Knight shot the car's dashboard a dirty look. "It was you who suggested it."

"We'll have to have Bonnie take a look. And fix things so that this doesn't happen again," Karr suggested, ignoring its driver's comment. "However, I do not believe we have done too much damage."

"I hope not, or Bonnie will kill me," Knight muttered, falling silent as they headed back to the start.

Karr was silent too, then offered, "I hate losing."

"Console yourself with the knowledge that if we weren't undercover, you could and probably would have won," Knight told him, pulling the Trans-am to a stop. Leon was congratulating Kat as Dom handed over her winnings. Knight pushed his way through the crowd. "Good race," he told her, offering his hand. Kat shook it. "I'm surprised your Trans-am managed to keep up as long as it did."

"I think I may have damaged the engine doing so," Knight admitted sheepishly.

Kat gave him a wink. "Any excuse for losing to a girl."

Knight smiled. "Believe what you want."

"I saw the smoke," Kat told him. "You still wouldn't have won, but I'll give you that you did damage your car."

"I'll have Jesse take a look for you in the morning," Dom offered.

Knight shook his head. "Nah, that's ok. Sure Jesse's good, but he wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of my car's insides. I know someone who can take a look for me."

"Whatever," Dom shrugged.

Knight sighed. "Come and take a look," he offered. Dom raised an eyebrow and followed over. The crowd followed, not sure what was going on. Kat had to admit she was curious to find out how a Trans-am could have kept up with her Skyline for as long as it had. Knight reached in to Karr, and popped the hood. Smoke hissed, and a smell of scorched ozone hit his nose, telling him that they'd done more damage than Karr thought. Bonnie was going to kill him.

Dom whistled at the cars engine. "That is not your standard Trans-am engine."

"I told you," Knight shrugged.

Jesse was studying it intently. "I can recognise a few things Dom but…wow. Knight, you got a manual for this thing?"

"Probably somewhere," Knight shrugged. "But it'd be way over my head."

"Damn, I don't know what half this stuff does," Jesse admitted. "Some of it doesn't even look like its part of the engine."

_That's because it isn't_, Knight thought to himself. He noticed the look he was getting from Dom and the rest of the crowd and shrugged nonchalantly. "My friend likes to come up with new things. She's done an amazing job."

Dom gave him a look that said he wasn't buying it, and looked like he was about to say something, when they heard sirens. "Shit."

"Cops!" Leon exclaimed. Everyone ran to their cars, taking off as the cops pursued them. Knight leapt into Karr. "Time to go pal."

"I couldn't agree more," the Trans-am replied, accelerating quickly, squealing to a stop as a black and white pulled in front of them. Knight could see the cars gold scanner bars rippling back and forth reflected in the police cruisers paint as he hit reverse, spinning the car through a j-turn and heading in the opposite direction, swerving around more police cars. His eyes widened as two blocked his path, and then smiled. "Time to go skiing," he said, and pressed the cars ski mode button. There was a sound of rushing air as the cars right hand side leapt up, the trans-am driving along on its left two wheels between the cop cars, then a thud as it dropped back down onto all four tyres, and sped away into the night.

**End of Chapter 10…**


	11. Chapter 11: There is no plan

_**Chapter 11: It's only you and I who understand, There is no plan**_

The day was just beginning when Knight left the Toretto house. Karr came to life with a rumble as Knight started the Trans-am's engine. "How you feeling?"

"My systems do not seem adversely affected. However with my recent diagnostics issues, we should still report to Bonnie, and get me checked out."

"I called in the semi last night, which is where we're going now," Knight replied, his tone just slightly smug in having got one over Karr.

Karr managed an irritable report. "My we are feeling smug today aren't we. But I suppose it is an achievement to damage one of the most expensive, sophisticated pieces of technology in the world. Which I might add, on your pay check, you couldn't afford to repair."

"You have an overly high opinion of yourself," Knight retorted. Karr heard the tone of his voice and kept quiet.

**************************************************

As the Trans-am approached, the rear of the black semi's trailer opened, dropping down to form a ramp way. The Trans-am slowed slightly, lining up with it, then glided up smoothly into the back of the trailer, the ramp closing behind it as the car came to a stop inside. Knight squeezing out. "Hey Bonnie."

"What has he done to you?" Bonnie asked with annoyance.

Knight winced. "I didn't do anything to him."

"I was asking Karr," she replied archly.

Knight gave her a boyish shrug. "Michael around?"

"He's in the front of the trailer," Bonnie told him, then turned her attention back to Karr. "What happened?"

"We ran nitrous while using the turbo boost," Karr told her. "It was my suggestion Bonnie."

"Don't cover for him," Bonnie told the car, activating a console on the side wall of the trailer. A mechanical whine sounded as blocks under the cars wheels raised it, stopping with a small gap between the trailer roof and the roof of the Trans-am. Karr's scanner rippled slightly, now at Bonnie's eye level.

"I'm not covering for him. It really was my suggestion."

"Knowing how competitive you are with Kitt, I can believe it," Bonnie muttered as she examined the Trans-am's underside, and cursed slightly. "I was afraid of that when Knight explained what happened last night. You've damaged some of your turbine blades. Probably your exhaust system as well," she said, stepping out from underneath. "Run your engine, let me hear how it sounds."

Karr did as he was told. Bonnie nodded silently, and fiddled with one of the computers, bringing up a wire-frame image of Karr, a circle passing back and forth over it as she scanned the car. "You're lucky. Your exhaust system is fine according to the scans. I'll have to replace the turbine blades though, and then we'll take a look at what other damage you've done."

"Yes Bonnie," Karr replied meekly at her scolding tone.

**************************************************

"Hello Michael," Knight said as he entered the rear compartment of the semi.

"Welcome back," Michael replied, waving him to a seat. "How's the case going?"

Knight shrugged in response as he sat down. "I think I've been accepted into Toretto's little band. And on the LA circuit."

"And the actual case?"

"We didn't find anything at Toretto's garage," Knight answered. "We're heading to Harry's after Bonnie finishes with Karr. We might find that they've purchased parts there for the Civic's, but not logged it at DT. Personally I don't think it's them though."

Michael frowned slightly. "LAPD, and more importantly the FBI, does. Any reason you don't?"

"Just the fact that we haven't found anything to connect them," Knight shrugged. "And my own instincts. Hunch. Feelings. Whatever you want to call it."

"I did want to ask you something," Michael said. "Two nights ago, Karr asked Kitt for any thing he had from his studies of humans, regarding human emotional responses, particularly adrenaline rush. He didn't say why, but Kitt thinks it was something to do with you. And I'm forced to agree. Care to explain?"

"Police chase," Knight grinned. "It was fun. But I had trouble explaining it to Karr."

"Just remember that you're working a case. I know it's difficult, but you have to keep your distance, don't let your personal feelings interfere. And most importantly keep things in perspective. A police chase might be necessary to maintain cover, but try not to enjoy it."

Knight shot him a dark look. "Wait a minute, I thought I was assigned this case because I knew Brian. How can I not be personally involved?"

"I guess you have a point there," Michael frowned. "What about the girl you had Karr check out, Jade Barrett?"

Knight grinned. "Mixing business with pleasure?"

"That's what I thought," Michael said. "I'm pulling you off the case."

"What?" Knight exploded. "Michael, you can't."

"I can and I have. Tell them whatever you have to, and leave. I'll assign someone else."

"You don't have anyone else to assign," Knight replied. "And last I checked, Mike's busy with a case of his own."

"Then I'll do it."

"Michael you can't, you won't fit into this world, not like I can," Knight said. "I can get the job done, I promise."

Michael frowned, deep in thought before speaking slowly. "You're sure you can do it?"

"Yes."

"And this girl won't distract you?"

"Nope," Knight smirked. "If anything, she makes the job easier. She can introduce me to some of the other suspects. Once I make her acquaintance."

Michael raised an eyebrow slightly, but had to agree with the assessment. "Alright. You stay on the case, but if you give me reason to think you can't do it, I'm pulling you, clear?"

"Crystal," Knight answered, getting up and heading back into the rear, taking a deep breath to regain his composure. "How's he doing?"

"Fine, no thanks to you," Bonnie answered, activating the switch that would lower the car to the trailer floor. "I'm going to be a while. You may as well get some rest while you can."

"Alright," Knight nodded, heading back to the forward section, bemused, pulling the partition across so that he didn't disturb Michael. His head hit the sofa cushion, and he fell asleep.

**************************************************

Knight's muscles protested as he stretched out, grimacing in discomfort. His watch told him he'd been sleeping for a few hours. He guessed he must have needed it. Given that he wasn't used to staying up most of the night racing and partying anymore, then getting up early to go for a run, he wasn't too surprised that he'd been sleep deprived for a few nights. He gave an amused snort, maybe that was why Brian kept saying he'd changed his habits. In Miami, he'd rarely been up before noon after the night's races. He yawned and stretched again, then headed to the trailer's rear section. Karr looked to be ready, although Bonnie was still hunched over a computer. "All done?"

Bonnie glanced up. "I'm just making sure the system is properly calibrated. It'll be a few more minutes. I've made some adjustments, which should give you a little more power if you need it. Mostly though, I made them so that if you do something stupid like running Turbo Boost and nitrous at the same time, it won't damage Karr's turbines. You know how vital they are. The modifications should prevent that, but even so, I wouldn't recommend you try it again."

"I gotcha," Knight replied. "You ready for business partner?"

"As soon as Bonnie's finished with me," Karr answered.

Bonnie glanced at him. "You're done. Please don't do anything to damage yourself again though."

"I'm not promising that," Karr responded. "Knight, can we cut loose now and leave the others car in my wake?"

Knight laughed. "We won't lose. But we can't show off like that just yet. But I will let you win by a bigger margin."

"Good," Karr stated. "I didn't like losing."

"I know," Knight replied, sliding into the car. "Did you find anything in the diagnostics Bonnie?"

"We're still looking, but the replacements seem to have resolved the problem," Bonnie assured him. Knight smiled. "Bye Bonnie."

"Look after yourself," Bonnie said.

Knight grinned. "Thanks."

"And look after Ian too."

"Got me again didn't you," Knight said accusingly, softening it with a smile and starting Karr's engine. The Trans-am roared to life before quietening to its usual deep bass rumble. The semi's rear doors lowered to form the ramp, and Karr backed down slowly, then pin wheeled around the Trans-am's back end and headed in the opposite direction.

**************************************************

The Trans-am pulled to a halt outside Harry's, sliding into a space. "Alright Karr, I'll distract Brian while you access the computers ok?"

"I remember the plan," Karr replied coldly.

Knight smirked. "I thought you would," then slid out and headed inside. "How you doing Brian?"

"Not bad man," Brian replied, coming out from behind the counter and bumping fists with Knight. "You were out early this morning."

"Yeah well, after last night," Knight offered.

Kat tapped his shoulder as she came in. "You get your car fixed up?"

"He's ready to run," Knight answered.

Brian gave him a confused look. "You call this one a he? That's a weird thing for a guy to do, man."

"It suits his personality," Knight replied with an 'I know something you don't' smile. Brian gave him a weird look.

Kat laughed. "Leave him alone Brian."

"You're right. Besides he's gonna have enough trouble with Tran's racer girl," Brian said.

Kat raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I heard you right. What was that?"

"Tran's racer girl," Brian grinned, full of mischief. "I think from his expression last night, Knight just found his future ex wife."

"I am here you know," Knight reminded him, his tone annoyed, punching his shoulder to get his point across.

Brian thumped him back, and a playful fight broke out between them, until Kat threw a cup of water over them. "Not in the store. He's into Jewels?"

"Oh yeah, he digs her," Brian said, ducking an irritated punch as they started again, Knight glowering at him. "Yeah, I can see Dom loving that. It's hardly the greatest of love stories."

"And?" Kat asked, giving up on separating the two of them.

Knight glanced at her, ducking a mock punch from Brian. "I haven't figured that out yet."

Brian stopped abruptly. "You don't know what to do? Dude, ask the girl out, you used to be all over that in Miami!"

Knight shrugged. "Things change."

**End of Chapter 11…**


	12. Chapter 12: Goin’ through the red

_**Chapter 12: Rollin' round my head, goin' through the red**_

Knight sighed as he slid into the Trans-am. "Well?"

"Well what?" Karr replied sounding slightly annoyed.

Knight drummed his fingers on the cars steering wheel. "Did you find anything to connect the team to the heists?"

"No," Karr answered shortly.

Knight frowned. "Great. Nothing to connect them to the heists, nothing to prove they didn't."

"I hadn't finished," Karr told him irritably.

Knight shrugged. "Sorry. What did you find?"

"There was nothing to connect Toretto and his team to the heists," Karr replied. "However, Hector has been shelling out money on parts for Honda Civic's over a long period of time."

"That might just mean he's been upgrading one Civic over that time period Karr, getting newer and better parts."

"Then why buy the same part three times on three separate occasions?" Karr asked. "Parts don't wear out that quickly."

"You got a point there," Knight admitted as he backed the Trans-am out of its parking space. "I guess we have a new lead to follow. But not tonight."

**************************************************

**After Dark**

**************************************************

When they arrived, the racers had already started to move out. Knight was curious as to the opening line up. He wasn't curious for long as they quickly found a place to race. The line up was good, a blue BMW Z4, pitted against an Aston Martin Vanquish in racing green, an Evo VIII in pearlescent paint with glowing rims and wide body kit, the cars skin appearing to change colour under the light from different angles, but it was a bright red Ferrari F-40, with Hamann Motorsports modifications that caught his eye. The machine sported huge air intakes to supply the cars powerful engine with cool air. The rear of the car was painted in a black and silver chequered pattern, forming a flag diagonally up the cars sides, a galloping horse in black sprinting along the cars side. Knight found the blue underglow coupled with the red paint to look strange, and didn't think that the two went well together, but he admitted the car looked good, its plates reading "DN 2FST" obviously a custom job. The car sported markings for Nitrous Express, GReddy, Stillen and Hamann Motorsports, along with various others. The go was called by a blond wearing a miniskirt, bra with a mesh top over it, and a puffed up cap, and the cars took off. Knight winced as the Evo hit its nitrous and muttered. "Too early," to himself, the view confirmed when the F-40 surged forward with nitrous seconds later, blasting into the lead. Seconds later, the race was over, the driver of the F-40 having won. Knight shook his head slightly as the crowd gathered round, jumping as Tempest surprised him.

"You avoiding me?"

Knight shook his head, feeling slightly guarded. "Nope, why would I?"

"You tell me?" Tempest replied. "Enjoy the race?"

Knight shrugged, "If its drag racing, I prefer being in. not a fan of watching. No entertainment in people driving in a straight line if you're just watching. Not so bad if you have a bet riding, but I was a bit late for that too."

"I hear ya," Tempest grinned. "You race any other style?"

"Sprint races," Knight grinned, looking slightly wistful. "Miami was always fun, it's a lot of sprints down there."

Tempest smiled innocently. "I was hoping you'd say that," she told him, then wrote an address on the back of his hand. "Be there tomorrow night. Slightly more challenging races, lots of curves and bends."

"Your rematch?" Knight asked.

Tempest laughed lightly. "Damn straight boy. And you can bet I'll beat your ass."

"Yeah, you didn't look happy eating my dust last time."

Tempest made a sound like a buzzing wasp. "Oooh, you'll pay for that."

"If you say so," Knight said teasingly, then looked around. "Your friend not around tonight?"

"Nah," Tempest answered. "She hasn't wanted to come to many of the races down here lately. Says she saw someone she once knew, wants to avoid them. Apparently it's a bad situation."

"I know what that's like," Knight replied, struggling to keep his tone neutral. Tempest gave him a slightly suspicious look, but didn't press further.

Knight hoped she hadn't caught the lie as she asked. "What's your interest anyway?"

"I was just curious," Knight answered, annoyed to find himself still struggling to keep his tone neutral. "So who's the driver of the F-40?"

"Dan Cowell," Tempest told him. "He and his brother Craig both race. Dan tends to be better at the drag races, while Craig's more of a sprint racer. Don't think Craig's around tonight though."

"He wasn't bad," Knight shrugged. "I could beat him."

"Maybe tomorrow night," Tempest said, then added. "Of course, you'll both be watching my ass cross the line before yours do."

Knight leaned back slightly and looked down. "Nice ass it is too."

Tempest slapped his chest with the back of her hand. "Watch your step boy."

"Not my type anyway," Knight retorted.

Tempest stuck her tongue out at him. "I'll have you know I'd rock your world."

"Not if your drag racings anything to go," Knight responded teasingly.

Tempest made a face of mock outrage. "You are so gonna get your ass handed to you tomorrow night."

"We'll see," Knight replied, nudging her. "Time to get racing."

**************************************************

Knight pulled the Trans-am up to the starting line with the other cars alongside. The other cars didn't seem like they'd prove much of a challenge to Karr, an older model Celica, a very new Lotus Elise with a lot of modifications, and a Porsche 911 Boxster. Knight briefly wondered why the other two were involved, neither one of them posed a threat to either Karr or the Porsche. He didn't have time to wonder as the race started, the four cars tearing away from the line with a squeal of tyres and cloud of dust. The engines were screaming, the Elise and Celica already falling behind. The Porsche was tearing away easily. Knight grinned at its driver's over-confidence, and hit Karr's nitrous, rocketing up behind the Porsche and drawing level with the metallic blue car. The car's driver looked over, and gave Knight a surprised look, trying to get more speed out of the car. Knight shook his head slightly. "How we doing Karr, can we use Turbo Boost yet?"

"The first tank just emptied," Karr informed him. "We're clear to use turbo boost."

"Great," Knight replied, then hit the turbo button. The black and silver Trans-am's engine roared as it blasted past the Porsche, the golden scanner bars rippling back and forth malevolently as it did so. The Porsche entered nitrous, trying unsuccessfully to keep up as the cars rocketed over the line, the Trans-am in front. Knight laughed as he spun the car around as Karr growled, "all too easy."

"You're getting a big head."

"I deal only in data. The facts speak for themselves, I haven't lost a race yet."

Knight coughed. "You lost to Kat's Skyline."

"Only because you told me we had to throw the race, to maintain our cover. Had I been allowed to perform as usual, I would have won," Karr retorted.

Knight grinned. "I really admire your modesty."

"Modesty is a state of mind, I deal only in data and logic."

"If you say so," Knight said, as he pulled the car to a stop. "Keep quiet ok."

Karr made a growling noise. "I do all the work, and you get all the praise."

Knight grinned but didn't reply to the car as he climbed out, slapping hands with Brian.

"Good race bro."

"Thanks Bri," Knight replied, grinning. Dom slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Good race."

"Thanks Dom," Knight answered, surprised to find he was pleased to have earned praise from Dom. The noise from the crowd of racers and hanger-ons gave him a buzz, one he hadn't felt for a while. He enjoyed it, but it felt slightly hollow. None of these cars could catch Karr if the machine didn't hold back, but he knew it was more than that. It was because he wasn't here for the races, he was here to do a job, and it felt like he was cheating on the person he'd used to be. He pushed those thoughts aside, and relaxed, letting himself enjoy the accolades from the other drivers, watching the scanner bars pulse back and forth across Karr's front end as he praised the car for his success. He grinned slightly, realising that he was boosting the car's ego even more.

Finally Dom called for the last race of the night. Knight watched as four RX-7's lined up, Dom's bright red machine with the rockets on the sides, Tempest's elaborately painted storm scene on hers, along with a white one with black marks painted on the side looking like tears had been ripped in the side of it and the forth a sickly bright yellow with red markings, and red covers over the headlights. Knight leaned back on Karr's hood, watching with interest. In this race, the outcome depended more on the drivers than the cars performance. Knight knew Tempest was good, and that Dom was supposedly the king of the LA street racing scene. He knew this should be an entertaining race.

**End of Chapter 12…**


	13. Chapter 13: Ready to explode

_**Chapter 13: Flyin' down the road, ready to explode**_

Hector set the race off, signalling the start, this race over a longer distance than usual. The four RX-7's launched, Dom and Tempest both taking off quick and smooth. The yellow one lurched slightly, but made up for it, the cars level, with both Dom and Tempest pulling ahead slightly. Knight watched from inside Karr, the Trans-am's windows tinted darkly so no-one could see in. "Karr, scan Dom and Tempest's cars. Can she beat him?"

The car didn't answer immediately. Anyone outside the car that happened to glance over, would see the golden light on the front rippling back and forth as it complied with its drivers request as Karr summarised his findings to Knight. "Hers is an older model than his. Ordinarily, I would say his should win, given it's a newer model. However, after scanning their parts, she has a good chance. Her performance parts are newer, slightly better versions than those in his car, which should even things. She also has a larger store of nitrous oxide than he does. Either outcome is equally likely, and in both cases, it will be close."

Knight nodded, and settled to watch the race. Dom and Tempest were slightly ahead of the other two cars, Tempest's easily the more eye catching of the four. As they watched, flame emerged from the car's exhaust as Karr reported. "She's engaged her nitrous oxide system."

"She's trying to get ahead early," Knight commented absently, as Dom's car surged with nitrous too. Knight narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered Karr's earlier findings. "If his tanks are smaller, his NOS is going to run out sooner right?"

"Possibly," Karr answered. "However, he engaged the system after she did."

"Calculate it," Knight told him, watching with interest as the car's raced along, dead level, mentally wishing Tempest could get the edge.

A moment later Karr informed him. "His nitrous oxide should run out before hers does. Now."

As Karr spoke, Dom's car appeared to slow slightly, then about a second later, so did Tempest's. Dom almost immediately hit his NOS again, taking the lead, edging ahead of Tempest. The storm car surged forward as Tempest hit her second NOS, pulling level with Dom, edging slightly in front. Then something appeared to happen, the car beginning to slow down, white smoke billowing in huge clouds from the car, Dom edging back in front, crossing the line first by less than two inches. Knight winced. "She isn't gonna be happy."

"She blew a coolant seal," Karr told him. "It was just bad luck. If it had held 2.736 seconds longer, she'd have won. However, it hasn't completely failed."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning the car is still drivable. Provided she's careful about overheating."

"I see," Knight answered, watching as the cars pulled up. Tempest looked distinctly unpleased as she climbed out of her car, then schooled her features to their usual pleasantness to congratulate Dominic. Knight was mindful of his actions as he walked over, clapping a hand on Dom's shoulder. The other man looked slightly annoyed by it, for a moment, then hid it better as Knight congratulated him. "Good race man. Pretty impressive. Guess that's why they call you the race king of LA."

"Better believe it," Dom muttered, heading to join his team, lifting Letty off her feet and practically sitting her on his shoulder as if she were much smaller than she was. "My trophy."

Knight ignored the scene as he joined Tempest. "Guess we aren't racing tomorrow then."

"You aren't getting out of it that easy," Tempest retorted. Knight raised an eyebrow, acting innocent. "What happened?"

"I had him," Tempest scowled. "Then my coolant seal failed. Now it's leaking, and burning some of it off the hot engine parts. That was the smoke."

"And you intend to race with a damaged car?"

Tempest gave him an 'are you completely stupid' look, and responded. "No. I can have the car ready for races tomorrow night if I work my ass off on it."

"How you getting it home?"

"I'm hoping that it hasn't completely failed," she admitted. "If I'm lucky, and careful to avoid overheating the engine, I should be able to nurse Rex home."

"But what about parts?" Knight asked. "Won't you have to wait to get one?"

"I run a garage for Ricky Tran," Tempest told him. "Means I got several spares hanging around. I can use them. Ricky likes to keep me and J hooked up and racing. Makes him more money."

"She help with the shop?"

"You gotta be kidding," Tempest smiled slightly, almost unwilling to let her displeasure go. "She's a racer Barbie. She doesn't know one end of an exhaust from the other, just a whole bunch of numbers and stats for muscle cars. She's big into muscle cars."

Knight gave Tempest a boyish grin. So we're still on to run tomorrow?"

"You betcha," Tempest answered, then grinned. "Then my crew will know you beating me was a one off."

Knight laughed. "In your dreams girl."

"And you dream of beating me," she retorted.

Knight grinned, ready to retort as his watch chirped in the warning signal he'd agreed on with Karr. "We'll settle this one on tomorrow's run."

"Just cause you couldn't think of a retort," Tempest told him, sticking her tongue out at him.

Knight grinned. "Just be careful the wind doesn't change. You might wanna get out of here, cops are gonna be here soon."

"How'd you know that?" she asked, suddenly wary of him.

Knight frowned, thinking on the spot. "My car is a bit more sophisticated than Leon's. It doesn't just have a CB for scanning the police band, it's a computer. If it detects traffic on the police band, and I'm not inside, it sends a signal to my watch, causing it to beep, as it just did."

"Interesting set-up," Tempest replied, not looking entirely convinced. She seemed to weigh up what he'd said, debating whether he was a cop with inside information, or telling the truth. Whatever she'd settled on, she seemed to believe him, taking his advice and driving off, the RX-7 moving slowly. Knight slowly headed back to Karr, making it look like everything was normal, until Leon shouted.

"We got cops incoming!"

He then sprinted over to the Trans-am and slid inside. "You almost blew our cover. How did you know so far in advance?"

Karr's engine came to life, and he joined the other cars as they made a break for it. "I don't just monitor police band. I was monitoring local phone connections."

"You listened in to people's phone connections?"

"No, that would be illegal without a court order," Karr answered irritably. "I can however track outgoing calls, and detected one to the LAPD's non emergency number. It doesn't take a genius to work out what it was regarding."

"Is that legal?"

"Since it's highly difficult to do without specialist equipment that only law enforcement agencies have, yes. If you hadn't noticed, I am highly specialised."

"Yeah alright show off. Find Hector's car in the scramble," Knight told him as he turned the Trans-am down a side street. "And if you're so smart, why did you almost blow our cover?"

"If you'd rather spend the night in a police cell, be my guest," Karr retorted, "I however, do not want to spend the night in police impound. Why are we looking for Hector's car?"

"I want to see where he goes," Knight answered –"And then I want to snoop around."

**************************************************

"Alright, shut your scanners off, I'll take us the rest of the way," Knight told the car as they followed Hector round a corner.

Karr complied, but asked. "Why?"

"It's a little too distinctive, and we don't want to get spotted."

"Understood," Karr answered. "We're here."

Knight peered out of the window at the crowd of cars gathered outside 'El Gato Negro' then across the street at the other building, its sign proclaiming it as "Hector's". Knight glanced back at the café. "I guess everyone's busy."

"You can't get through the main doors, they're in full view of everyone."

"Hmm," Knight muttered. "Guess it's through the roof. How do I get up there?"

"You could use the ejector seat."

"The what?"

"The ejector seat," Karr replied, sounding slightly impatient. "You haven't used it before, so you probably didn't know about it. I've already made the necessary adjustments, all you have to do is press the button. You should land quite gently."

"That's it, I just press the button?"

"It would help if you also opened the auto-roof."

"Smart-alec car," Knight retorted, and opened the cars roof . "Alright, stay out of sight," he said, and then pressed the button. With a hiss of gas, he was catapulted into the air, landing on the roof of the building with less impact than stepping off a curb. He looked down briefly, watching Karr back away quietly, staying out of sight, then headed across the roof and examined the window. One of the panes looked slightly newer than the others, the one above the catch for the window. He winced slightly and pulled on the sleeve of his leather jacket, as he bent his arm, and smashed the glass with his elbow, lifted the catch and opened the window, slipping inside. He gently negotiated his way down to the floor of the garage and looked around, casting the torchlight around. He grinned slightly, noticing the cars under the dust covers, their shape unmistakably that of Honda Civic's. He crossed over to them, and lifted the covers slightly. All three were dark blue. He mused that slightly, in the darkness of night, the cars would look like they were black, so they could possibly be the cars used. He looked at the tyres, and groaned. Pirelli's. Not the right make. He frowned slightly and headed over to the desk, looking for a copy of the books, or the inventory. His in-ear mike beeped quietly, prompting him to raise his watch to his lips. "What is it Karr?"

"Six people are leaving in two cars."

"Damn," Knight muttered. "I'll be out shortly, meet me outside. Try and keep a lock on them."

"Understood."

Knight clambered up onto one of the hoists and back out of the window, sliding down the drain pipe to the waiting Trans-am. "Still got them?"

"No," Karr replied sullenly. "They accelerated away quickly, and got out of range of my scanners. They were heading north when I lost them. I have attempted to locate them using satellite imagery, but so far have been unsuccessful."

"Damn," Knight sighed.

There was silence for a moment before Karr spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault Karr."

"We could head north and try to pick up their trail," Karr offered. Knight shook his head. "It'd be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Lets just head ho…back to the Toretto's."

Karr noticed the slip, but didn't comment, instead turning on to the route back to the Toretto's as his driver sat back contemplatively.

**End of Chapter 13…**


	14. Chapter 14: Drivin’ Blacktop rollin'

Usual disclaimers apply - I don't own F&F or Knight Rider (in any incarnation). Thanks to Tempest Races for the use of some of her characters/backstory and for beta'ing. I apologise for the lack of delays, I've moved house and only just got internet back :). Enjoy!

**Chapter 14: Come on! Driving' Blacktop rolling!**

It was the next night. Knight was struggling to keep his temper under control following the previous night, irritable because he couldn't say for sure whether Hector was involved with the heists or not. Unlike the rest of the team, he was ready for races, relaxing as Dom and Brian came over, both ready. "You ready to race tonight bro?"

Knight shrugged. "Different crowd, different style, should be fun. And challenging."

"What are you talking bout?" Dom asked. "Its gonna be drags, same as usual."

"Maybe for you," Knight replied. "Me, I'm gonna go run in the sprint races. Tempest threw down a challenge last night."

Dom frowned slightly. "You'll be in Tran's territory. Me and my team don't go down there, lot of bad blood."

"Dom man, you can't let him go down there alone," Brian said, biting his lip slightly.

Dom glanced at the blond. "What d'you want me to do Brian? You remember Johnny shooting up your car, or doing a drive by here, almost killed Jesse, you expect me to send someone into that?"

"Johnny's dead," Brian replied calmly. "I should know, I was the one who shot him while I was still a cop."

"And his family won't welcome us with open arms," Dom replied firmly, folding his arms across his chest with an 'end of discussion' look on his face.

Brian looked unhappy for a moment. "Well, you and the team go drag race. I'll go with him, watch his back. Besides, I haven't been sprint racing since Miami."

Dom narrowed his eyes slightly, and Knight swore he could see the thoughts running in Dom's head through the mans eyes. Dom rubbed his bald head slightly. "Alright. But try not to stir up trouble for us, got it?"

"Right on bro," Brian grinned exuberantly, and punched Knight's arm. "C'mon, lets go race."

"Brian," Dom said warningly, then handed him a pistol. "Just in case."

Brian nodded, and tucked the weapon into his jeans. "Look after Mia for me."

"She's my sister, of course I'm gonna look out for her," Dom retorted. Brian just gave him a cocky wink as he and Knight headed out of the door. Dom heard the Trans-am fire up, and a second later, the roar of Brian's Skyline, and frowned slightly, a bad feeling hanging over him like a cloud.

**************************************************

The Trans-am slid to a graceful stop, the Skyline behind it doing the same as the two cars arrived in Chinatown, pulling up to the already assembled racers. Knight stepped out of the car as Brian got out of his Skyline, nodding slightly as he headed over to Tempest. "You got your car ready to run then?"

"You didn't think you'd get out of losing that easily, especially when I have a surprise for you, did you?" she replied, with a grin.

Knight laughed and shook his head. "Your gonna look pretty funny when your coughing up the dust I leave you behind in."

"Talk's cheap," Tempest replied, with a devilish grin. "Racing me isn't. Ten large."

Knight raised an eyebrow. "Your ass is worth that much?"

A couple of jaws dropped in the crowd, but Tempest didn't appear flustered. "My ass is worth much more than that, and you couldn't afford it," she retorted, with a sly grin of her own. "But that's how much this race will cost ya."

Knight held up a wad of cash. "Ten large."

"You're sure?" Tempest asked. "Its high stakes. And it ain't just money, it's your life too. Know the Toretto crew block off roads for their races, and so do we for the novices. But not when you race me. You handle dodging traffic too?"

Knight gave her an 'I know something you don't know' grin. "I can. Question is can you?"

"Ask me when you lose," Tempest replied. "I'll go find two more guys who want to lose money tonight."

Knight nodded and headed back over to the cars. Brian looked concerned. "I heard what she said. You sure about this bro, one slip and your toast. Racing whilst dodging traffic is tricky."

"You've done it before," Knight pointed out.

Brian frowned. "Yeah I know but…this isn't Miami, and it isn't a freeway. This is two way streets and intersections, tight bends, and trying not to hit another car. Its rough bro."

"I can handle it bro," Knight replied, then winked. "Trust me."

"You I trust. It's her and Tran's groupies I don't trust. I don't like this man."

"Its cool," Knight replied. "Just watch my back alright?"

"Alright," Brian nodded, still looking unhappy. "Tempest's calling you over."

**************************************************

Knight breathed deeply as he and Karr lined up alongside Tempest's RX-7. Alongside was the Ferrari belonging to Dan Cowell, and on the other end, a Supra, in pearlescent green paint, changing colour from blue to green depending on the angle. Karr's monitor displayed the route Tempest had given him, and the finishing line. Most of the other cars had set off for the finish already. Only Brian's Skyline, a red and white Mustang, and a black Honda 2000 with white Chinese symbols remained. Knight waited, tapping his fingers on the car's steering wheel, feeling slightly apprehensive. "Karr?"

"Yes?"

"Get me a visual of our competition. Screen only, not the new HUD."

The car remained silent, wordlessly doing as it was told. Knight frowned slightly as he examined Tempest's image. "She doesn't look even slightly worried."

"She thinks she has the edge here," the car stated. "She does not realise that I am more than I appear."

"She may not be wrong."

"What does that mean?" the Trans-am asked suspiciously.

"Nothing," Knight answered, as Jade signalled the start of the race. As the cars separated, Karr's HUD display produced a GPS satellite image of the course and surrounding streets, illuminating the other road traffic as the four cars launched from the line. The course they'd been given was relatively simple, five long straights, and four bends. There were only two tricky sections, a train crossing and a tunnel, and that was dependant on several factors. The four cars were level, along the first straight, clear of traffic as they tore round the bend. "Karr, give me a warning if you detect traffic coming out of a junction that we could collide with."

"Understood," the car replied with steely tones as the Trans-am pulled ahead of Tempest's RX-7, then swerved suddenly to avoid an oncoming car, letting Tempest take the lead again. Karr's back end swung out wildly, the car's tyres struggling to find purchase on the road as Knight got the car back in line, the other two cars flashing by in an instant. Knight growled, and as soon as Karr was back to speed, hit the nitrous, and caught up with the other two cars. The cars pulled in close together, swerving in his path to stop him getting past. Knight grinned and stopped trying, letting the other two drivers think he'd given up as their cars straightened out, still close together and trying to pass each other, without giving him room to get past them. "Alright Karr, knock out about four feet, and I'll put you on auto pursuit."

The car didn't reply verbally, the first indication it was listening being the surge of power as it swung up on two wheels and shot forward, passing between the other two cars, and dropping back down to all four tyres and pulling away rapidly. The other two cars hit nitrous, and Karr hit the turbo boost, pulling away from them even faster as Knight asked. "Alright, where's Tempest?"

"She's at the intersection ahead. However, it is going to be difficult. Combining my radar with satellite imagery, there is a large amount of traffic," Karr answered. Knight frowned slightly, his concentration deepening as he aimed the sleek black and silver car at the intersection, and raced forward. As he watched, he saw Tempest's back end swing out slightly, just clipped by another car. Somehow she kept the car in a straight line though, and carried on pulling away as Knight twisted through the traffic, just narrowly avoiding collisions. Karr made an irritable noise. "My dominant program says I shouldn't be letting you do this. Kitt would not."

"Yet another reason I'm glad you aren't Kitt," Knight replied, as he swerved to the left, then the far left lane to avoid an oncoming car, diving back across to the right, drawing level with Tempest. He turned to look at her, and grinned as she looked across, annoyance on her face as he pulled in front. She swerved around, darting into the Trans-am's slipstream for a few seconds, drafting, then swerved around to the left as they rounded a bend, slipping in front of the Trans-am. Knight automatically swerved, trying to get around her as she swerved back and forth, keeping the Trans-am from getting past, as white lights on the RX-7's rear lit up, letters spelling "Kiss my ass," as she surged forward in nitrous.

Knight couldn't help but laugh. "I guess that's her surprise."

"I'm not amused," Karr said sourly, "she's ahead of us."

"No, really?" Knight said, his tone sarcastic, but amused, and hit the Trans-am's nitrous, drawing up behind, into Tempest's slip stream. She hit the breaks, forcing him to do the same, then stepped on the gas, putting distance between them as she tore round the second to last bend, and dived down into the tunnel, Knight wincing as he did so. Karr's scanner illuminated the tunnel walls as it rippled back and forth.

"We can't pass her in here, there's too much traffic."

"Just keep up with her," Knight replied, his voice tight.

Both the Supra and F-40 were close now, fighting to get past him. Knight frowned, swearing as Tempest was obscured by two street cars, blocking his path, shooting in between concrete pillars, narrowly swerving around an oncoming car, before diving back across, and pulling in behind Tempest. He glanced behind quickly, the F-40's back end swinging as it got clipped, before straightening up, the Supra still stuck behind. Knight managed to pull level with Tempest, then had to pull between pillars again as she swerved to avoid an accident, barely avoiding one himself as Karr quietly said. "This is getting very dangerous. And soon to be more so. The next bend is inside the tunnel, and it comes out onto the last straight. However, there's still the matter of the crossing and the oncoming train. And you know how well that worked out last time."

"What?" Knight exclaimed, then swore, darting through traffic. "Temp are you trying to get us all killed?" he muttered to himself, just managing to pull in front of her as they came into the bend. Karr was heading too fast, and just narrowly scraped through between pillars as Tempest rounded the corner perfectly, coming out in front, and the straight clear ahead of her and hit nitrous. The Trans-am swerved around a car and back across into the clear road, Karr making a noise similar to a relieved sigh. The Ferrari was just behind them, then as Knight glanced into the rear view, the Supra flew round, out of control, the right corner of the front end smashing into a concrete pillar. The cars back end swung round, another car ploughing into the side of it, knocking it into the air, spinning and smashing side first into the tunnel wall, and scraping along the floor on its roof. Knight winced. "Karr, call 911 and tell them what's happened."

"Should I request two?" Karr asked. "That train's approaching."

"Can Tempest make it?"

"If she does, it'll be by the skin of her bumper," Karr replied with a steely tone.

Knight's eyes narrowed slightly. "What about us?"

"Certainly not in the conventional way," Karr replied. Knight fought to suppress a grin as Karr informed him. "According to my calculations, we'll reach the train, just as the flat bed crosses."

"Alright, get ready," Knight said, watching the vector graphic as Tempest's car crossed the tracks, its back end narrowly missing the train. Knight relaxed slightly. "Here we go," and hit the turbo boost. With a roar, the sleek black and silver Trans-am leaped over the flatbed wagon, landing with a thump on the road afterwards, Knight's head hitting his arms as he braced himself for the landing. "The Ferrari?"

"Swerved to a stop," Karr replied, as the car roared along, crossing the line after the RX-7. Karr made a disgusted noise. "We lost."

"Yeah," Knight frowned, then shrugged. "Helps build our cover a bit. Or rather, yours."

"I'm thrilled," Karr replied, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Knight laughed. "Keep it quiet alright," then got out, grinning good naturedly at Tempest as she revelled in congratulations. "Nice surprise."

"Glad you liked it," Tempest replied.

Knight smiled. "You realise we have to have a tie breaker now."

Tempest laughed lightly. "I guess we do."

"Congratulations on the win," Knight said, offering his hand.

Tempest shook it lightly, then kissed his cheek. "Thanks for making it a good competition. And I'm gonna enjoy spending your money."

"I thought you might," Knight laughed. "I'll catch you later," he said, then headed over to Brian. "We oughta get outta here. I think it's likely that the cops are on the way after that accident."

"Right," Brian replied, and headed for the Skyline. Knight returned to the Trans-am, and felt a hand grab his shoulder.

**End of Chapter 14…**


	15. Chapter 15: Mustang, Redlinin every gear

_Usual disclaimer applies, I own nothing related to Knight Rider or Fast and the Furious. Thanks to Tempest Races for the use of her characters and back story - highly recommend you go check out her stories, including my favourite, Tough but Tender. Sorry for the lack of recent updates, I've had a few issues with reworking areas of the original story and improving it, but seem to be back on track now. That said, please enjoy the lastest chapter :)_

**_Chapter 15: Like a Mustang, Redlining every single gear_**

Knight turned around to find himself looking into a pair of aviator sunglasses. "Hi."

"Hello," he replied, "I don't believe I've had the pleasure."

"You'd know if you had," was the dry response as the brunette dipped her sunglasses, revealing blue eye shadow on the lids above pale grey eyes. "That was a good race."

"Not good enough," Knight replied. "I lost."

"A lot of people do out here."

"I'm Ian, Ian Knight."

The girl smiled mysteriously. "Jade Barrett. But my friends call me Jewels."

"More original nickname than Knight."

"Perhaps. Are we likely to see you around here again?" she asked. Knight's tone changed slightly. "You can count on it," he told her, then looked up the road. "Sirens. Time for us both to take off."

"To be continued?"

"Sure, assuming they don't catch either one of us," Knight replied, keeping his tone light. "You should get out of here, wouldn't want the cops to catch you," he told her, before sprinting to the Trans-am. With a squeal of tyres, the car took off. Knight punched the auto cruise button, letting Karr drive. "That went well."

"So it appeared. There was certainly an interesting surge in pheromone and hormone activity. From both of you."

"Karr..." Knight's tone was full of warning.

"I assume you still intend to use her to get to Tran."

"I only told Michael that to keep him from worrying," Knight told the car. "And you make it sound so ruthless."

The car remained silent for a moment. "I was merely re-iterating the plan. Which apparently, was never the plan. If it sounds ruthless, perhaps that is entirely your perspective. Since I don't have feelings, it makes no difference to me either way."

"Must be nice to have logic to fall back," Knight commented wryly. Karr fell silent, choosing not to respond.

**************************************************

"So what the hell was all that about?" Brian asked as they pulled over and got out of their cars. "You interested in her? You know she's Tran's girl right?"

Knight shrugged. "Didn't seem to bother her. I need a beer."

Brian stared after him with a frown as Knight strolled into the Toretto's. Dom started to ask a question, but Knight just held up a hand, and headed into the kitchen. Brian winced as Dom got to his feet wearing his "so angry, I'm calm" face and walked into the kitchen. "Rule one, my house, you play by my rules. Means you don't ignore me when I ask you a question."

"I'm not on your team," Knight replied. "And I do what I want."

Dom's jaw clenched and Brian knew he was about one step away from punching Knight, and quickly intervened. "Dom chill out bro, c'mon. Just let him get a beer."

Knight merely raised an eyebrow at Brian as he led Dom away, and swigged from his Corona.

**************************************************

**Next Night**

**************************************************

Knight fought a smile as he parked Karr along with the rest of team Toretto, glancing around at the assembled cars. Tempest's RX-7 was parked up, Jade's Mustang next to it, and an Eclipse Spyder, midnight blue with silver flecks and a moon painted on it was next to it, some chirpy blond perched on the cars hood. Then he spotted Jade walking over. "There she is. Wish me luck pal."

"Good luck," the car replied, its tone warmer than Knight had ever heard before. He patted the hood gently, drawing strength from the sleek machine. "Thanks," then fell silent as Jade took the last few steps. "We meet again."

Jade smiled back . "So we do Mr Knight."

"Are you always this mysterious?"

Jade smiled slightly. "Nope."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"You tell me."

Knight shook his head and laughed. "So the Mustang is yours? You seem to have a thing for muscle cars."

Her smile widened. "It's all about the big block and the muscle baby," she stepped around him and regarded the Trans-am coolly. "Two thousand and two model right? Trans-am Firehawk? V-eight engine, three hundred fifty five horses?"

"Before modifications, yeah."

"WS Six or Seven?"

"Seven."

Jade tilted her glasses down below her eyes. "Rare. So..."

"So?"

"So do you want to race it?" she asked, a sly smile on her face.

Knight nodded. "You're on."

**************************************************

Knight grinned as he approached the rest of the team. "Get your bets down."

"What's going on?" Dom asked in his "nothing goes without my say so" voice.

Knight smirked as he spoke. "I'm racing Jade, one on one."

"A Trans-am versus a Mustang, you're kidding right?" Leon asked. "You'll get creamed."

"Let him," Vince snarled, then grinned. "the humiliation will be good for him."

"You two know nothing," Letty rolled her eyes. "That Trans-am at stock cranks out about three hundred twenty, three hundred fifty horses, same as a Mustang GT, it's the electronic limiter than keeps its speed down, unless its reprogrammed, and both of these have been heavily altered. It's an even match."

"Thank you," Knight smiled, flipping off Vince as he did so. "Should be a good race."

Dom immediately started running a book as Knight returned to his Trans-am. The cars scanner bars rippled slowly. "You know I'm far more powerful than that."

"You know that, and I know that. They don't need to know exactly how much better you are."

"Do I have to lose? The Three Thousand beat me, and it's a Mustang."

"The Three Thousand is Knight Industries enhanced. And it's a GT five hundred KR, which is about twice as powerful as the one we're racing. Besides, you heard Letty."

"We're evenly matched?"

"We are if you were a normal car."

"That's what I wanted to hear," Karr growled.

**************************************************

Knight pulled the car to the line, a big grin on his face, focusing his eyes on the finish line as Karr asked. "My scans of you reveal some intriguing activity. Is something wrong?"

"Nope," Knight replied.

Karr analysed his voice and decided he was being honest, despite the confusing readings from his sensors. "We are going to win this one right?"

"I'm not planning on losing," Knight replied calmly. "Like I said before, this would be an even match."

"Good," Karr replied firmly.

Knight smirked as the Mustang rolled up alongside, the street lights glinting off the white and red paint. Nyssa perched on Vince's shoulders, holding the flag, shooting a glance at the Trans-am, and started the race. The black and silver Trans-am took off with a squeal of tyres, the back end sliding slightly as it pulled away. The Mustang accelerated quickly, but not quickly enough to keep up with the Trans-am as it tore away. As soon as they were up to speed, Knight hit the nitrous, and tore away at speed. Glancing at Karr's monitor, he saw that Jade had hit hers too, just enough for the Mustang to keep up with the Trans-am. He glanced up at the road, then back at the screen, watching the Mustang slowly gaining and took his foot off the gas. Karr almost immediately questioned. "Why are we slowing down? She'll catch up."

"It's alright Karr."

"I'm assuming control," the car replied, the Trans-am picking up speed again as the auto cruise lit up.

Knight hit a couple of buttons, then restored manual cruise and hit the brakes, ignoring Karr's protest, slowing the Trans-am to let the Mustang catch up, holding level alongside and smirked at Jade as she looked across. He threw a mock salute at her, then hit Turbo Boost. The force off the boost pressed him back into the seat as the car rocketed forward, accelerating at phenomenal speed as it crossed the line, before slamming on the brakes. Knight smirked as the Mustang crossed the line, and span around, Jade pulling the car around so that they were nose to nose. Knight winked at her, then shot backwards, spinning the car around in a j-turn and heading back for the starting line at speed, slamming the brakes on and spinning the car around, the tyres squealing and smoking as it span, the car halting for a second before the rear wheels span again. Knight smirked at a glaring Dominic as he got out of the car. "What? Too flashy?"

"You just cost me a grand an a half," Dom said looking irritated as he handed over winnings to some of the team and trying to ignore the "I told you so" grin on Brian's face.

"Serves you right for betting against me," Knight replied looking past Dom as the brunette stepped out of her Mustang and headed over. "Good race."

"You got a lot of speed out of that Trans-am."

"The amount of money that went into building it, I should hope so," Knight smirked, the smirk becoming a grin as he heard Karr's scanners pulse behind him. "Fancy buying the winner dinner?"

**************************************************

**Later that night**

**************************************************

The Civic's approached from the rear of the truck, rapidly pulling along side. The trucks driver swerved, trying to ram the lead car, but its driver reacted quickly and swerved away. The sunroofs of the other two opened, and a hail of bullets persuaded the truck's driver to not try anything as the lead Civic pulled in front. The car's sunroof opened, and one of the occupants stood, firing a harpoon gun into the truck's passenger window, and yanking the window out. A slender gloved hand took the gun, and passed up a second. The other hijacker fired the bolt into the truck's passenger seat, and made the jump to the truck, scrambling through the window. The hijacker levelled an air pistol at the driver, and fired. The driver felt a dart strike his arm, and he began to feel drowsy. The cars on either side backed off as the truck started to weave back and forth across the road, and before he passed out, the driver felt his passenger pulling him out of the way, and taking his place. The hijacker struggled for a few moments before gaining control of the rig, and straightening out. The cars pulled in line with the rig now under their control, and sped off into the night.

**End of Chapter 1****5…**


	16. Chapter 16: Roads Too Dark to See

**_Chapter 16: I often wonder how you drive, when the road's too dark to see_**

Knight apologised as Jade rapped her knuckles on his skull gently. "Sorry, I was miles away."

"I'd noticed," she replied dryly, as she sipped from her Mojito. "Is it me?"

"No," Knight replied with a slight smile, "it isn't. Sorry."

"So what were you thinking about?"

"Nothing really," Knight shrugged slightly. "Work related I guess."

"Work?" she asked doubtfully.

"I used to live in Miami, and didn't do much but race. Eventually got bored of doing nothing. Jobs a job," he answered, having no intention of telling her about his job, or his investigation.

Jade shook her head slightly. "If you say so. Can't say I'd be bored enough in Miami to get a job. So how do you know Toretto?"

"I don't," Knight shook his head. "Don't know a whole bunch of people out here, except for Brian, and I'm just getting to know the Toretto crew. And a girl."

"Out on a date with me, but seeing another girl?" Jade asked. "Girl could get the wrong idea."

"She's just a friend," came the dry response. "But nothing more than that."

"Let me guess, she's a starlet, too much media pressure. Right?"

"Hardly, Faith's an ex-con," Knight shrugged, not wanting to go into details about him and Faith. "She's cool. Little bit wild," he paused for a moment. "Anyway…how'd you end up out here and doing what you're doing?"

"Long story," she answered. "Short version is I got into some trouble."

"What a shocker. Seems that's how everyone ends up in LA."

She gave him a mildly bemused look. "Ok, so I went from the frying pan to the fire. Shit happens. Things weren't going so well and then I met Tempest. She helped me out, we became friends."

"So how'd you get involved with Ricky Tran?"

Jade looked at him curiously. "Temp runs a garage for him. I met him there. Tempest warned me about him, but it was a little late. He hooked me up with the car, and had Temp get it ready for me, but I owed him for a while."

"Sounds like a loan shark to me," Knight frowned, deciding to get some inside information about a possible suspect. "So what does he do? I mean, besides owning Tempest's garage."

"I'm not sure," Jade admitted. "I think his family is pretty wealthy for him to have the things he does. Bikes, race cars, and the businesses he owns."

"I heard he has gang connections," Knight said carefully. "Or runs one."

"You think he's a criminal?" Jade asked, then a little more distressed and angry. "Or you think I'm either one myself, or working for one."

"I don't think you're a criminal," Knight replied. "I'm just... I know he's related to Johnny Tran. And apparently, that guy was a thug. Almost killed Jesse from the Toretto team. Brian told me."

"And your friend Brian killed him for it," she pointed out. Knight didn't deny it. "Brian was a cop at the time. Tran was resisting arrest."

"But did he know that Brian was a cop?" Jade asked. "What if he didn't know, can he still justify shooting him then?"

"Since Tran was shooting at him, its self defence, cop or not," Knight made a time out symbol with his hands and grinned. "This all has nothing to do with either of us anyway. I was just curious."

Jade gave him a look that suggested she suspected there was more to his curiousness. "I guess. Seems like a funny thing to be interested in."

"I'm funny that way," Knight replied lightly. That seemed to work as she grinned slightly. "I guess. So what do we do now we've finished?"

"Over to the bar?" Knight asked, raising his visa card for the waiter.

* * *

Brian watched, feeling slightly confused as the four cars pulled away. Craig Cowell, in his Aston Martin DB9 had just won one of the races, but he hadn't spent much time getting congratulated. Instead, the silver DB9, with its 20" chrome rims, revolving in the opposite direction to the car, the chrome head and tail lights, and the front end modified to show off the pulsating blue under-chassis neon, wide body kit, tinted black windows and Dual GT spoiler, with the distinctive design on the side, a buxom nurse in a tight uniform, reclining on the rear wheel arches had pulled in alongside the F-40 belonging to Dan Cowell, and followed the dark blue Spyder with silver stars, and Tempest's highly detailed storm scene RX-7 as the cars drove off. It had been a long time since he'd used his cop instincts, but he knew something was going on. Still, he'd not heard or seen anything in the news, and he'd not heard anything from his contacts in the PD, but he couldn't shake the bad feeling he had.

* * *

"So, you, said you were out here for work?" Jade asked. "Before you changed the subject. What do you do?"

"Besides race?"

"Besides race," Jade smiled, drawing her finger around the edge of her glass. "Trying to avoid the question?"

"Not at all," Knight replied, "I work for Knight Industries, as a test dri..." he paused, his attention drawn by the TV –"Oh shit."

"What?" she asked as he stood and yelled for the bartender to turn the volume up as Jade asked "What's wrong?"

"_The victim is believed to be disgruntled Iraq war veteran Mike Tracer."_

"I know that guy, he's a colleague," Knight said simply. "I'm sorry, but I gotta go."

"Why?"

"Because I have to find out what happened," he said gently, pulling away. "Sorry to ruin the evening."

"Can't say I'm not disappointed, but I understand. Good thing I brought my own car."

Knight smiled. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"I should hope so," she said softly. "Guess I'll have to settle for a rain check."

"It's a deal," Knight plucked his jacket from the back of the chair. "Again, I'm sorry."

* * *

As the door close behind him, Knight pulled the ear-piece from his jacket and clipped on quickly. "Karr patch me through to Michael."

"Is there a problem?"

"Check the news channels. Mike's just been shot. By Rivai of all people."

"Comlink established."

"Michael, what happened? What the hell was Rivai thinking?"

Michael's voice on the other end of the line was tense. "Rivai was doing what she thought was best."

"Shooting Mike was for the best, are you kidding?" Knight asked incredulously. "Do you need me to come in?"

"No, stay on the job," Michael told him. "Mike's gonna be fine. It was tranquiliser. Apparently his past was catching up with him. Steps needed to be taken."

"And you're ok with this? She just shot your son, and killed him as far as the world is concerned!"

"I'm not exactly thrilled," Michael replied tersely. "But it's done. Stay on the case kid."

The line went dead, leaving Knight stood beside Karr, shocked. The Trans-am scanners rippled to life. "What do you want to do now?"

"You heard the man. We have a job to do," Knight slid inside the Tran-am. "Keep your scanners peeled, and listen in on all frequencies. Let's see if we don't get some luck with our mystery drivers."

* * *

"I think I may have something."

Knight glanced down at the voice modulator behind the steering wheel. "What is it?"

"I have been monitoring the local police band and civilian CB traffic. I have received a broadcast from 'Big Manny' heading north on Interstate four oh five. He's put in a call to the LAPD about three vehicles approaching at speed."

"Switch to super pursuit mode, plot us an intercept."

"Engaging super pursuit mode. Course plotted."

The car's ram-air intake rose slightly, allowing it to cram in more air. In the same instant, the spoiler angled more steeply as it raised, allowing for more down force, while panels in front of the rear wheels slid back to reveal two more intakes. There was a whine as the extra engines powered up, forcing the car to incredibly high speeds.

Within moments, they were on the Santa Monica freeway. The Trans-am raced along at insane speeds under the control of the AI, weaving around the light traffic without losing speed. Minutes passed until they reached the intersection, the sleek black machine taking the bend with a squeal of tyres. Now heading north on the 405, the car began to accelerate further, pushing itself to the limits.

"Time to intercept?" Knight asked.

"One minute, thirty five seconds," the car replied. "I have a visual."

"Let's see it."

A smaller 'window' appeared in the windshield heads up display. The truck was weaving back and forth dangerously, apparently trying to discourage the drivers of the three Civics. The cars were already beginning to position themselves around the rig, the lead car disappearing in front of the truck.

"Fifteen seconds to intercept," Karr announced coolly. "Disengaging super pursuit mode."

Moments later, the car had reverted to its normal configuration, closing on the vehicles ahead. Knight could see the passengers of the Civics on either side stood in the cars, bracing themselves against the sun-roofs while training automatic weapons on the truck. The truck's driver had begun to steady the vehicle, straightening out, giving up the fight.

"Karr's what's going on?"

"The lead car appears to be directly in front of the truck. Its passenger is aiming what looks to be a harpoon gun into the front of the truck. My belief is that they use the device with a harness in order to safely board the cab."

"In that case, we take out the harness, they have to give up, right?"

"In order to do so, we would have to target the cable with my laser. For optimal firing position, we would need to be in front of the truck and facing it."

"You want to reverse at these speeds on the highway? Are you insane?"

"I am a computer. I cannot be sane _or _insane."

"That's comforting," Knight replied. He grinned suddenly. "I always wanted to try this. Get ready pal."

The trans-am increased speed, tearing past the Civic on the right of the truck and pulled level with the lead Civic. Knight inhaled deeply, then yanked the wheel hard to the left and slammed on the brakes, letting out an excited whoop as the Trans-am span around, its tires screaming in protest.

The lead Civic dodged away as the Trans-am steadied itself and began to race down the highway in reverse. The Civic pulled back across, its second occupant firing the harpoon gun, the cable stretching between the Civic and the trucks passenger compartment. Knight shook his head. "Hit it Karr."

A burst of light emitted from below the car's pulsing dual scanners, severing the cable cleanly in less than a second. The second Civics passenger turned and began to fire at the Trans-am, a hail of bullets bouncing harmlessly off the car's windshield. Knight shook his head, and took the car forward, forcing the Civic to swerve out of the way before spinning the Trans-am around to once again be chasing the vehicles. "They don't seem to have given up Karr."

"Perhaps I gave them too much credit for intelligence," Karr replied. "I'm picking up communication between the cars. They appear to be using voice disguisers. I'm jamming the transmissions."

"Good thinking," Knight frowned, leaning forward slightly in the driver's seat. "Karr what are they doing?"

"It looks like they're trying to position for a second jump."

"We need to stop them," Knight stated, trying to weave the supercar around the Civic in front. The Civic matched him, blocking off his attempts to get around. The third Civic had dropped back, and was spraying the Trans-am's rear with bullets, attempting to shoot out the vehicles tires.

In the meantime, the front Civic had dropped back until its tail was almost against the front of the truck, the second occupant climbing out of the sunroof. Knight narrowed his eyes and began to feint right. The second Civic began to do the same, as Knight slammed left, and hit the gas. The Trans-am's nose hit the Civic's rear quarter, using the power available to spin the Civic around, until it span off to the side, clearing its path. As it began to pull forward, the first Civic's passenger jumped onto the front of the truck cab, somehow managing to reach and climb in through the broken windshield panel. "Ballsy move."

The first Civic began to pull away as the Trans-am swerved towards it.

"Knight!" the urgent tone in Karr's voice drew Knight's attention to the HUD as Karr displayed a muzzle flash in the tractor cab.

Knight's eyes widened as he turned in his seat as the cab's door opened, and a large black shape shoved out, hitting the tarmac hard. "Is it the driver?"

"I believe so," Karr replied, snapping up a visual of the helmeted figure now driving the truck.

Knight cursed, and spun the black and silver car off to the side of the road, continuing to curse as the trucks and the Civics accelerated away, hitting the gas and swerving into position to block oncoming traffic from hitting the unconscious truck driver. Knight leapt out. "Karr?"

"Vitals are weakening rapidly. He appears to be going into shock."

Knight groaned as he hauled the trucker to his feet and bundled him into Karr. "We gotta get this guy to a hospital."

"Setting a course," Karr intoned as his driver clambered in, accelerating away even as the door closed, and heading back into the city.

**End of Chapter 1****6…**


	17. Chapter 17: Spoilin for a fight

_Authors Note: I still don't own Knight Rider, or Fast and the Furious. Apologies for the lack of recent updates, I've been struggling to get the next couple of chapters to work the way I want them to. But I've got them finished, so hopefully you'll enjoy the continuation of the story. Thanks to Tempest-Races for beta-ing and fixing my mistakes, enjoy the chapter!_

**_Chapter 17: Spoiling for a fight, cuz I've gotta make it right_**

Knight grinned with relief as he pulled the Trans-am to a stop inside the Knight Industries HQ, exiting the car rapidly, and jogging into the rec-room. "Good to see reports of your demise are greatly exaggerated."

Mike almost cracked a smile. "Thanks, but they aren't that exaggerated."

"What's that mean? You ok?"

"For a guy whose existence has just been wiped off the face of the Earth? Yeah, I'm ok." Mike answered.

"That reminds me, you need to come up with a name," Carrie told him, "Or the FBI can come up with one."

"How about Buster?" the Asian girl, Zoe suggested. Knight shook his head, "Buster is an insult. Especially in the car world."

Mike rolled his eyes, "My father's real name was Michael Long."

Zoe lowered the basketball she'd been ready to shoot. "Mike Long? Sounds like a porn star."

"Total porn name," Billy added from the other side of the room. Mike glanced at him, shook his head and started out of the room. Knight glanced at him. "Speaking of your father, I'd better check in with him," and headed out with him.

As they exited the room, they were just able to catch Zoe questioning Billy on how he'd know, and the techie's response.

* * *

"So what did the semi's driver have to say?" Michael asked.

Knight shook his head as he paced back and forth. "Not much. He was dipping in and out of consciousness at the hospital, and they wouldn't really let me talk to him because of his injuries. Lots of lacerations, broken bones, head trauma. Serious stuff."

"Go back and talk to him when he's had chance to recover."

"With all due respect," Knight paused as the door opened and Rivai entered, seemingly cleaned up after the basket ball session, "I don't think he'll be able to tell us more than we already know. The hijackers were wearing helmets with tinted visors, so he wouldn't have gotten a good luck at the guy that got into the cab. Which leaves us with a group of hijackers in black Honda Civics, using precision driving and semi-automatics to hijack trucks in transit."

"Alright. What about potential suspects?"

"There's a group of Latinos led by this guy called Hector," Knight shrugged, "I already snooped around Hector's garage. There are three Civics in it, very dark blue that could easily be mistaken for black at night. Don't know what colour the under chassis neon is. Tyres don't match though."

"It's enough," Michael told him. "Worth looking into. I'll use our sponsors resources to dig into his finances and background, see if we can turn anything up."

"There's this gang too, the Tiger's. It could be them. Leon's girl Kat and her team used to be members but, it's worth looking into. There's this other guy too," Knight frowned, "Ricky Tran. Seems to have a finger in everything, lot of cash, but I'm not exactly sure from what. From what I know, he has a lot of businesses but none that good give that kind of cash."

"He may have investments," Michael said pointedly. "But I'll look into it, see what turns up. What about the primary suspects, the ones

you're rooming with?"

"It's not them Michael. There's no way."

"But you can't account for their whereabouts at the time, because you were on a date."

"He was on a date?" Rivai questioned from where she was observing, "Shouldn't you be trying to crack this?"

"She can get me close to one of the other groups that are potential suspects, which I can't do otherwise because of my association with Toretto and his crew."

"And exactly what progress have you made there?" Rivai countered, "Because my bosses at the FBI are beginning to question backing this project. We gave you the information you needed, including the previous heists. And so far there's been no obvious results."

"I was making plenty of progress until you shot Mike," Knight countered.

"With getting in close to another group of suspects or getting invited back to her apartment?" Rivai retorted, "Or just in blowing your cover, since the hijackers will have got a good luck at Karr."

"Oh please, it was dark, and everything moved fast. There's no way they could have identified Karr."

"Alright, that's enough, both of you," Michael ordered, "Carrie, tell your bosses we're working on it, focus on your job, and let us do ours."

Before Knight could smile triumphantly, Michael rounded on him, "And you, Agent Rivai has valid concerns. We can't play this as fast and loose as we did when I was in the field. Forget the distractions and focus on the case. Get it done."

Knight's jaw tightened slightly, but he bit back a retort. "Alright, I'm on it. Me and Karr are heading out."

As he closed the door behind him, Rivai looked at Michael, "We're beginning to have reservations about him. He's not exactly the right material for this."

"Maybe not, but he's what we've got. And unlike the FBI agent you wanted originally, he gets on with Karr," Michael told her. "He'll get the job done. And if he can't, it's on my head, not yours."

"Have it your way," Rivai told him, "But if he can't get it done, the FBI will be sending someone else in."

* * *

Knight was in a dark mood as he pulled in to the races. Even Karr was subdued from the chewing out they'd been given about the truck heists last night. When Michael had told him, he'd automatically defended Dom and the team, until Michael had countered by telling him what time the heist had taken place, and he couldn't account for their whereabouts. He still felt sure it wasn't the team though. Still, he'd given them more time and seemed to accept that they didn't have much to go on, but plenty of suspects. He pulled the Trans-am in alongside Brian's Skyline and got out, Brian catching his mood instantly. "You ok bro?"

"I'm fine Bri," Knight answered.

Brian slung an arm round his neck. "You don't look happy. Despite staying out all night" he grinned boyishly.

Knight shrugged. "Last night was fine. Until it was interrupted."

"What happened?"

"Doesn't matter, it was sorted," Knight answered, then smiled slightly as Jade pulled up, without her team. Brian frowned slightly, but didn't say anything, exchanging a look with Knight as the other man headed over . "Hey Jewels."

"Hi. Did you get everything sorted out with work?"

"Kinda," Knight answered. "It's complicated."

"Work?" Brian asked. "Weren't you supposed to be on a date last night?"

Knight glared at him as Jade answered. "We were. The TV in the bar showed a news report about a colleague of his being killed."

"I thought you were just a driver for your job, what does he do?" Brian frowned. Knight realised quickly that just because Brian was no longer a cop, didn't mean he didn't still have the instincts and quickly tried to play it down, "He used to be an army ranger, and left under less than ideal circumstances. He intervened in something he shouldn't have, they thought he was part of it, and he caught a bullet from the FBI for it."

Brian nodded slowly, "Yeah, it's been known. For what it's worth, I hope they caught the guy they were after when he intervened."

"They got one of them, the other got away." Knight answered, doing his best to create a story that fit with what happened, without giving away the whole truth.

There was a few moments silence before Knight offered "Let's just go race huh? I don't want to be thinking about this anymore than I have to."

"Fair enough man," Brian replied, "Let's see what we can get set up for you."

**End of Chapter 1****7…**


	18. Chapter 18:

_Authors Note: Usual disclaimers apply. I still don't own Knight Rider, or Fast and the Furious. Thanks to Tempest-Races for beta-ing and fixing my mistakes, enjoy the chapter!_

_**Chapter 18:**_

Knight pulled up to the line. Alongside Karr was a grey-black Subaru Impreza RS with blue tinted windows and blue and white flashes on the side, a silver Nissan 350z with aqua coloured underglow with windows the same colour and a blue spoiler, with a blue snake pattern down the side and a red RX-8 with a similar pattern to Dom's. Knight bet that wasn't sitting well with "the King of LA" as he waited. The all clear came from Leon, and Dom set the cars racing, all four level at this early stage of the race. Karr's monitor displayed images of the four cars from the front, the rippling gold light on the cars black and silver nose looking menacing as ever, as if the car was trying to feel out its opponents. Knight hit the pursuit button, giving the Trans-am extra speed, starting to edge out ahead of the competition. The Subaru surged ahead. Knight shook his head and hit the car's turbo boost and raced up behind the Subaru, cursing as it suddenly changed lanes. "What the?" Knight cursed, hitting the Trans-am's brakes to avoid hitting the Subaru as the other two cars started to close, the RX-8 slightly ahead of the Nissan. Knight started to switch lanes to get around the Subaru, cursing as its driver blocked him. "Son of a–"

"We could turbo boost over him?" Karr suggested.

Knight shook his head, glaring at the Subaru's "Tommo-1" license plate. "Got a trick up my sleeve," he told the car, and swung towards the Nissan slightly. The Subaru started to shift, and Knight swung the wheel back around, and hit nitrous. The Trans-am raced around the Impreza and pulled into the lead. Both the RX-8 and the Nissan hit their nitrous, surging forward in a last ditch effort to win. Knight hit the turbo boost, and the Trans-am bolted forward, crossing ahead of the other cars by a full length. "Hah."

"Over-rated, underpowered pieces of junk," Karr muttered.

Knight grinned. "They weren't that bad."

"They had no chance against me," Karr replied. "I am the future of the automobile industry."

"If you say so," Knight replied, laughing as Karr made an irritated noise. "Just remember that for now we want to keep you and the other cars a secret. And for the moment, we're trying to keep what you can really do a secret too, so clam up, got it? Let's get our winnings"

The Trans-am didn't reply, and Knight groaned. "Don't sulk."

"I'm not sulking," the car replied sullenly. "You told me to be quiet."

"You sound like you're sulking," Knight told the car as he pulled back up to the start line. "I'll be right back." He climbed out, grinning boyishly at the praise for winning. He gave Dom a wink. "Beat your imitator for you."

"Punk needs a few lessons," Dom replied. "Your winnings."

Knight took the roll of cash, and handed back a third. "For putting me in this one."

Dom looked at him, slightly confused and Brian laughed. "It's called mutual respect bro. Knight's listened to Tej's speeches a few times too many."

Knight flipped a finger at Brian as Dom spoke. "I think we got time for one more. Alright Brian, lets see what you got there."

"Yeah B," Letty laughed. "Let's see you earn your Bullitt name here. Or if you're doomed to forever be known as Chumpy."

Brian grinned. "Dude I almost had you in the Supra."

"You never had me," Dom replied. "I was owning you till I blew a seal."

"I think Chumpy suits him better than Bullitt," Knight said to Letty.

She laughed "It does, doesn't it? He just has that look about him."

Brian shot Knight a betrayed look. "Thanks a lot bro."

"C'mon man, you oughta know me better than that. It's a sign of affection."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"It's true Brian," Knight said, doing his best to sound serious. "You know I love you man."

Letty burst into laughter as Brian put on the face of a long time sufferer. "Yeah alright, knock it off bro."

Even Dom was smirking. "So you ready to race?"

"Alright then, let's go bro." Brian replied. "Before the mocking continues."

Knight faked glancing at a watch. "Nah that's cool bro, I have to go meet someone. I don't have time to mock you further."

* * *

The crowd of racers were already cheering as the cars lined up, Brian's Skyline and Dom's RX-7 in the middle, Edwin on Dom's left and Donny Yen on Brian's right, all four cars revving their engines, flames licking out of their tailpipes. Letty called for the go, Dom taking off rapidly, the RX-7 pulling away from the other cars like the rockets on its sides. The blue Skyline was almost as quick getting away, both cars leaving Edwin's and Yen's in their dust. Knight whistled slightly. "That guy is fast."

"That's why he's the king of LA," Jade said. "He's the only person Tempest has never beaten."

"She's beat Kat?"

"Ok, he's the only person she's raced and never beaten. She's never raced Kat," Jade answered, punching his arm slightly. Knight just smirked in response as she eyed him curiously for a moment, before turning her attention back to the race as the Skyline took the lead, blasting forward with nitrous to do so. "He's gonna do it!"

A second after she spoke, the RX-7 surged forward, its nose just an inch ahead of the Skyline's as they crossed the line. Knight cursed. "Damn."

"What?"

"I bet on Brian."

Jade couldn't help it, she just had to laugh. "That's why I bet on Dom."

"Right." Knight replied dryly, as the cars pulled back up to the line, their drivers getting out. "Congratulations Dom. Still the king of LA."

"Like there was any doubt," Dom snorted, lifting Letty up. "My trophy."

Knight glanced at Brian. "You let me down Chumpy. I had money on you."

"That was a mistake," Letty grinned. "No way Chumpy was ever gonna beat Dom."

"I was close," Brian protested, still wearing his trademark grin. Knight shook his head. "Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

"Brian, remember what I told you after the first time I beat your ass?" Dom asked. "It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning's winning."

"Amen brother," Leon said warmly. "We'd better get out of here before the cops show up."

"Party time brother," Vince growled, hugging Nyssa close. "Let's get some grub."

"Looks like Ole Coyote's hungry," Leon laughed.

Letty grinned slightly. "He's always hungry," she added as Vince pointed at Leon threateningly. The sound of sirens had everyone running for their cars, peeling away rapidly. Knight glanced in his rear-view mirror as Karr pulled away, glad that Jade had pulled in tightly, staying in the Trans-am's slipstream to get that little bit more speed out of her car. The scramble was chaotic, cars weaving in and out of each other, a miracle there were no accidents. The cops weren't nearly so lucky, a couple of the cruisers running into each other, fortunately not at high speeds. Knight set Karr on course for the Toretto's and relaxed as the car disappeared into the night, attracting little attention from the cops.

The street outside the Toretto's was packed with parked cars as the Trans-am pulled up, carefully sliding itself into a space. As Knight stepped out, a wave of noise hit him as music blared out of the Toretto house. Knight grinned and leaned down to the cars window, "Sounds like a party."

"And you call this work."

"It's a tough job, but someone has to do it," Knight smirked. "Go into surveillance mode. Let's see whose here and who isn't."

"How will that help?"

"At the very least we can identify a few of the key players," Knight told him. "Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky."

"If you say so," Karr replied. Knight shook his head slightly and patted the cars roof before heading inside to the party.

**End of Chapter ****18…**


	19. Chapter 19: Without Fearing NoOne

_Authors Note: Usual disclaimers apply. I still don't own Knight Rider, or Fast and the Furious. Thanks to Tempest-Races for beta-ing and fixing my mistakes, enjoy the chapter!_

_**Chapter 19: These Are Painted Lines, And I Walk The Line, Without Fearing No-One**_

As Knight walked up to the house, Jade stepped out of the shadows. "Hey."

"Hey yourself. Wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Normally I wouldn't be," Jade smirked slightly. "But I've always been curious about Toretto parties. I figure now I can get in."

"All we can do is see what happens," Knight replied, stepping to the door, glancing back over her shoulder at the Trans-am, its scanners rippling back and forth slowly. "Shall we?"

* * *

Knight was aware of the eyes watching him, and more importantly Jade as they joined the party. He glanced around, but there was no sign of Dom or Letty. The quick glance at Vince gave away the muscle bound meatheads feelings. He was furious. And just barely held back by an obviously disapproving Leon and a concerned looking Brian.

It was at that point he noticed Jesse approaching. "Hey Knight. Some party huh?" The wiry man suddenly realised Knight had company. "Jade? Never seen you at one of these before. How's things?"

"Great thanks Jess," Jade replied. The younger man grinned, swigging a Corona, apparently spotting someone over the duo's shoulders. "Oh hey, I'll catch you guys later," he said, moving around them. Knight half turned to watch the mad scientist approaching a brunette. He shook his head slightly with amusement and looked back at Jade. "Well that was easy."

"I've spoken to Jesse a few times in the past. Before he got warned off speaking with me anyway," she replied with a shrug. "Team loyalties."

"Well, at least Jesse is fine with you being here."

"Yeah, I noticed that Dom's over-compensating side-kick wasn't happy I was here." Jade replied with a wry smile. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."

"Want to leave?"

"I'm not sure yet." She shrugged. "Let's just see how it goes."

"Sounds like a plan," Knight nodded, looking around the room, spying Kat and her crew. He gently steered Jade in that direction, figuring a warmer reception might be had there.

* * *

Knight jumped down the last couple of stairs, stumbling slightly. Mia shook her head slightly, an amused grin on her face. "Jumping down the last few stairs, while pulling a t-shirt over your head, wasn't really a smart thing to do."

Knight shrugged and grinned boyishly, hiding his embarrassment. "You heading out?"

"Yeah. Gotta open the shop for the breakfast crowd," she smiled. "See you at races tonight."

"Fair enough," Knight replied. "I'll catch you later."

"You'd better bring Brian too then," she winked, and headed out the door. Knight watched her drive off, and shut the door with a small smile. His smile faded as he entered the living room.

"What was that stuff with Tran's bitch last night? He and her were pretty tight last night Dom," Vince said.

Knight' jaw tightened, and he saw the 'here we go again' look on Nyssa's face as he turned and squared off to Vince. "What did you just say?"

"I asked what you were doing with her punk."

"How is that anything to do with you?" Knight replied, his voice humourless.

Vince shrugged. "What, you and Tran's bitch? Nothing so long as you and her both know your place."

Knight hauled off and slugged him in the jaw. Vince reeled, before coming back in with a right hook. Knight half turned to lessen the impact, hitting back with a quick left jab, and a right hook. Vince waded in, knocking both of them to the floor. Knight cursed himself slightly. His training told him he should have kept his distance slightly, giving more techniques and tactics he could have used, rather than getting into this, trading blows at close quarters with Vince on the floor, each delivering restricted ineffective blows to the other. A quick jab with his knee, and then applying leverage flipped Vince over and off, putting some distance between them as they both got to their feet, lunging at each other again, Knight ignoring his self admonishment in favour of the fight. The two locked horns, trading knee's to the midsection, shoving each other away, flying back at each other. It barely registered that Leon and Jesse had grabbed at Vince, and were trying to hold him back. Knight felt someone grabbing at him, jabbed an elbow backwards and felt it connect, heard a horrified gasp. As he was released, he lunged forward again, flying at Vince, the two trading blows momentarily. Next thing he knew, he was hurled backwards, landing in a chair with almost sufficient force to tip the chair over, Dom glaring down at him with a murderous look on his face. Knight started to rise, and Dom shoved him back down, his voice calm and level as he glanced over his shoulder. "Get him in the other room."

Knight moved slightly, seeing Leon and Jesse drag Vince out of the room, Nyssa following, before Dom spoke again. "You need to watch your step."

"No, that asshole does," Knight said, starting to rise, before seeing Brian shake his head slightly. "What I do is none of his goddamn business."

"You make it his business when you bring one of Tran's followers into my house," Dom countered. "This _is_ my house and my team, and she's got no call being up in here."

"Still doesn't make it any of Vince's business," Knight replied calmly.

"Maybe not. But this is his home, and we don't play nice with Tran or his underlings. And none of that changes that you need to watch your step," Dom told him. "This is my team. Which means you play by my rules."

"I'm not on your team."

"Then maybe you oughta find someplace else to stay. Because if you ever hit me again, I will beat you down."

"I didn't hit you, I hit Vince," Knight retorted. Dom glared straight at him. "Who do you think you elbowed in the head?"

"Ahh," Knight replied. "Sorry," then got to his feet. "But I'm not sorry for hitting Vince. And I won't apologise for it. He started this," he told Dom and headed out the door. "See you at the races."

* * *

**That night**

* * *

The black and silver Trans-am pulled up to the races alone, not a part of Team Toretto. The team hadn't arrived yet, but competitions were already being organised. Knight headed the Trans-am forward, turning its nose in towards the parked Mustang, its slender brunette owner smiling as he got out of the car. "Hey. Here alone?"

"Not any more," Knight smirked.

She smiled, a quirky little smile. "So why not with your team?"

"Its Dom's team, I'm not part of it, I'm just a guest of Brian's," Knight explained. "Plus I hit Dom."

"You hit Dominic Toretto and lived to tell about it?" a blond girl, hair down to her waist and swaying, with big blue expressive eyes, wearing a blue bandana around her neck, twine bracelets, a cheerleading style sports bra top, and flared jeans asked. "How'd you do that?"

"It was an accident," Knight explained. "He was trying to separate me and Vince. Who are you?"

"I'm sorry, that's my fault," Jade said. "Ian Knight, this is Sonja. Sonja, this is Ian."

"Pleasure to meet you Sonja," Knight offered, extending a hand. The girl shook his hand warmly. "Please, my friends call me Cheer. And you being…friends with Jade, that includes you."

"Thanks," Knight replied. "And please, call me Knight. Everyone does. I prefer it too."

"Ass," Jade rolled her eyes at him. Knight gave her a mock annoyed look. "At least I can race."

"So can she," Tempest said from behind him, popping him in the back of the head with a fist, not hard enough to hurt.

"Not well enough apparently," Knight grinned. "good to see you Temp," then glanced at Sonja's Spyder. "You race?"

"Not really. Leave it to these two," Sonja replied. "Obviously you do."

"Yeah," Knight replied. "Even if the car doesn't look the part."

The Trans-am's gold light rippled once, and Knight knew Karr had heard him. Was probably planning revenge too. Tempest raised an eyebrow at him. "So are you racing tonight?"

" I'm challenging Toretto tonight," Knight replied. "Show him that he isn't as good as he thinks he is."

"He is," Sonja said insistently as Tempest and Jade laughed, Tempest explaining. "Cheer has the hots for him."

"Wouldn't let Letty find out," Knight replied dryly, glancing around at the other cars. "Like the DB9."

"It's Craig's," Tempest told him, pointing out a guy with short hair, shiny flicks over his forehead, wearing Ray Ban sunglasses, shirt, trousers and shoes rather than trainers. He looked stylish, but somewhat out of place amongst the rest of the racers. On the other hand, it did draw attention to him.

Knight raised an eyebrow. "Good racer?"

"He's good," Tempest admitted. "He hasn't gone up against Toretto yet though. Or me since we're on the same team. He's got enough challengers tonight. Including his brother, Dan."

"The guy with the Ferrari."

"That's the one," Jade smiled. "And he has to be a good racer. He's a paramedic. Barrels through the city in an ambulance during the day."

"Hence the nurse paintjob," Knight laughed. "I get it."

A growl of engines in the distance attracted everyone's attention as the team's cars pulled up, led by Dom's red RX-7, with Brian's R34 in the middle of the pack, the cars pulling to a halt as the RX-7 glided forward, engine roaring right into the high revs. Knight shook his head slightly as Dom got out of the car, the rest of the team getting out of their cars. Kat had turned up with them tonight too, her black Nissan Skyline gleaming under the street lamps, the tiger design looking ready to pounce.

Tempest rolled her shoulders. "I guess it's on."

"Let's head over," Knight suggested.

Tempest glanced at him. "You trying to take over my team?"

"Just a suggestion," Knight said, holding his hands in surrender, Jade rolling her eyes and flashing a smirk at Tempest. As they got within earshot, they heard Edwin ask how things were working that night.

Dom looked around. "One race, two g buy in."

"C'mon man," Craig protested. "Lots of people want to race tonight."

"I meant for me Cowell," Dom replied. "How many races are set up?"

"I don't know," Craig answered. "I got a few challenges tonight."

"Alright, you're the front runners," Dom said.

Knight pushed his way forward. "Me and you tonight Dom."

"You're challenging me?" Dom asked, amused. "With that?"

"Unless you're too chicken."

"Don't get me wrong, it's in good shape, but you can't beat me," Dom replied. This'll be the easiest money I ever made."

"I want her," Letty butted in, glaring at Sonja. "Blondie hasn't stopped eyeing you up since we got here."

"No confidence in your ability to keep your man?" Sonja shot back quickly, earning a look of hatred from Letty.

"Why would he want you, he's already got better, his own racing queen?"

"Leave it alone Let," Dom told her.

Letty glared at him, then at Sonja. "Racer chaser."

Tempest stepped up. "You want to step up."

"And here's the other one," Letty replied, "can't she solve her own disputes?"

"I suppose it would be fair," Tempest replied, her tone icy. "She doesn't race, and you don't seem to either, trophy girl."

Letty snapped and lashed out at the other girl. Tempest didn't take it lying down, flying back at her with an elbow to the face, the two going at it tooth and nail. Dom grabbed Letty round the waist, pulling her back, Sonja and Jade doing the same with Tempest as the Canadian girl shouted. "You want me on the track, I'm all yours. I won't even charge you for the privilege, it'll be that much fun watching your ass crawl over the finish line."

"_iChingate tu madre,__ cabrón__!,_" Letty hurled back. "You gonna look funny with my tread marks over your face," trying to break loose from Dom as the two team's separated.

Knight gave Brian an apologetic look. "My car's parked over there bro."

"I'll try smooth it with Dom," Brian offered.

Knight shrugged. "Why, I'll just ruin it later when I hand him his ass."

"Don't be too confident, Dom's the best there is," Brian warned, heading back towards his team. Knight frowned slightly, feeling more isolated than ever before, and headed back towards his Trans-am as the racers started pulling out.

* * *

Knight sat back casually on Karr's hood, knowing the trans-am would make him pay for it later. Still, it was better than standing, he mused to himself, watch as Craig lined up his Aston Martin, the F-40 belonging to his brother pulling in alongside, along with the grey-black Impreza from the night before and a Porsche. Dom called the go, and the cars took off, engines roaring above each other. The cars stayed level for a couple of seconds, feeling each other out, before the cars began to separate, the two brothers level with each other as the other two cars fell behind. The Impreza was at the rear of the pack, just behind the Porsche as the Ferrari began to streak away, getting into the lead. A second later, the pace of the Aston Martin picked up, catching up to the F-40. The other two cars hit their nitrous, pulling level with the two brothers, momentarily. As the Ferrari began to pull away from the other cars, just edging towards the line, the Aston Martin surged forward, leaping into the lead as the cars crossed the line, snatching the win. Knight stayed silent as the crowd cheered and roared with approval, but kept an easy grin on his face as the cars came back to the starting line, their drivers taking praise or jokes at their expense from the other racers. Knight watched from the sidelines as Tempest, Sonja and Jade congratulated Craig and Dan, laughing and joking. Part of the same team, he mused to himself as Tempest headed for her car, and Jade came back over to him, Craig with her. "You know, you're supposed to congratulate the winner."

"I like to focus before a big race," Knight shrugged, and shook hands with Craig. "Good race man, congratulations."

"Thanks," Craig replied. "We'll have to go up against each other sometime. See if you're worthy."

"I thought I already proved that challenging Toretto," Knight answered. Craig laughed. "Worthy racer, sure. Worthy of our girl Jade, well, we'll see."

"Looks like Temp's about to race," Jade interrupted.

Craig smiled easily. "Catch you later." He moved over to the girls surrounding his car.

Knight shook his head slightly. "Guys a character."

"He's got a lot of style. And charisma," Jade grinned. "Race is about to start."

Knight slid sideways on the Trans-ams hood so she could sit. "Reckon she'll win?"

"Easily," Jade replied as they watched the two purple cars, so disparate in style line up.

Dom called for the go, and the two purple cars started off with a roar of engines, the tyres screaming as they broke from the line. Knight wished he could make use of Karr's systems to analyse the two cars as they raced, but with Jade present, it'd blow their cover. The two cars were dead level, neither girl conceding an edge to the other. The Silvia's exhaust seemed to change colour and with a squeal of tyres, the purple Nissan took the lead. Tempest dropped her car down a gear, and floored the gas, the RX-7 edging up on the other car as it accelerated. The engine started to whine, and she changed back up quickly, and after a few seconds, hit her NOS system. The RX-7 rocketed forward, the neon lights under the Silvia, and on the surrounding buildings blurring into lines as the car roared onwards. Tempest didn't even have to look back to know that Letty had used her Silvia's second shot of NOS as the purple Nissan drew up alongside her storm car.

Tempest grinned to herself. "Time to go to school girl, lessons just beginning." She fired her second shot of NOS, flipping the switch she'd used for Knight. She looked back as the distance between the RX-7 and Silvia grew, laughing as she saw Letty spluttering about the display the RX-7's rear lit up with. She turned her attention back to the front, pressing the car's gas pedal down further. She closed her eyes briefly, feeling the rush of adrenaline as her car flew down the stretch, knowing that Letty couldn't catch her now. She opened her eyes and laughed as her car crossed the finishing line two car lengths before Letty, yelling with pride as she spun the car round and headed back to the start. She got out of the car, as both Jade and Sonja grabbed her in a congratulatory hug and yelled over at Letty. "How'd that exhaust taste _una puta_?"

Letty looked like she about to start something before Vince and Nyssa dragged her off. Tempest flashed her a triumphant smile, accepting congratulations from the other racers when Kat came over. "Good win girl."

"Thanks babe," Tempest replied. "How you living?"

"I'm good, great actually, apart from not having raced," Kat replied. "My Skyline needs a good workout."

"I'm sure you'll give it one when you get chance," Tempest replied. "Letty spitting mad?"

"Hell yeah," Kat laughed. "Speaking of, Dom wants you to move your car."

"He can come ask himself," Tempest replied, "why'd you come over for it?"

"Coz we're friends, and the team is showing loyalty to Letty," Kat told her. "Beside," she pointed at the RX-7 that belonged to Dom, its owner sat inside, glaring out of the windshield, Knight sat in the black and silver Trans-am next to it, the gold light on its front ripping back and forth malevolently, almost impatiently as Kat finished. "These two are ready to go at each other."

"I can't wait to see this," Tempest grinned, looking at Jade. "Put some money down on him for me."

"Sure," Jade answered as Tempest slid back into the RX-7, backing it out of the way. As soon as she finished, the two waiting cars glided forward, halting on the line, the curves of Dom's RX-7 a smooth contrast to the Trans-am's sharp angled nose, the golden lights mounted in the Ram Air hood rippling with anticipation.

**End of Chapter 19****…**


	20. Chapter 20:

___Glad to hear your enjoying the new version Brian. I agree, its much better than the original was, and I prefer it myself. M3L, thanks for the pointer, I'll correct that at somepoint. Thanks for reading!_

_Thanks to Iman for pointing out that I uploaded chapter 19 again as chapter 20... Enjoy the replacement!_

_Authors Note: Usual disclaimers apply. I still don't own Knight Rider, or Fast and the Furious. Thanks to Tempest-Races for beta-ing and fixing my mistakes, enjoy the chapter!_

_**Chapter 20**_:

It was Letty that called the go. Dom's RX-7 took off rapidly, Knight keeping the black and silver Trans-am level, both cars tearing off the line with a squeal of tyres. The Trans-am's scanner ripped back and malevolently as the cars sprinted down the road, neither one conceding an edge. Dom glanced across, scowling to see the Trans-am keeping level with the RX-7. Knight ignored it, focused on the finish line, oblivious to everything else, including the line of cars down either side of the road. Karr warned him that Dom had hit his nitrous, the RX-7 pulling away. Knight hit the Trans-am's, pulling level quickly, the cars jockeying for position, struggling to gain that edge over each other, engines straining, to out roar each other. Knight glanced out of the car window at the red RX-7 alongside the Trans-am. Dom's jaw was tight with concentration as the car shot out in front. Knight cursed softly, and hit the turbo button, bringing Karr back alongside the other car after Dom used a second shot of nitrous, both cars dead level now. Knight grinned. "Ok Karr, we're gonna pull ahead now, just enough to shake him up, then loose some speed. I want to cross the line dead level."

"May I ask why?"

"So we don't blow our cover, and so that he realises we have a good chance of beating him."

"We can beat him with ease."

"That isn't the point," Knight grinned, as the Trans-am pulled in front then began to slow down. "We know that, he doesn't, and doubts we can. We're just showing him otherwise."

"As you wish," Karr growled.

Knight shook his head, knowing the car would be sulking now. He glanced at the display, showing that the cars were dead level as they crossed the line. He glanced across to see Dom scowling, and schooled his own features to look like he was annoyed, while inside he laughed, turning the car around.

The two cars pulled over into the crowd, the drivers getting out to a roaring crowd. Both were getting admiration, although it was even calls for who'd won. Dom shrugged easily, claiming the win. Kat wasn't so eager to let him claim it. "You didn't win. It looked like he did."

The team went to Dom's defence, calling it as his win. All except Leon, who stayed quiet, not wanting to choose a side between his lover and his friend. Brian kept quiet too, watching with an amused look. Dom glanced at Knight. "I s'pose you say you won too."

"To be honest, I thought it was dead level," Knight replied, keeping a smirk from his face. "But I almost had you."

"You never had me," Dom told him. "You were ahead, and I got level, and then won."

"You didn't win," Tempest joined in now, on her friend Kat's side. "I hate not knowing for sure that you lost, but you didn't win." She turned to look at Knight. "And I don't get why you're not fighting for the win."

"Brian?"

"Don't draw me into this Dom," Brian grinned. "Too close to call."

The group argued some more, Knight listening with amusement, before trying to call time. "Guys look, it was close. We were even, leave it at that."

"But Dom won," Vince growled. "No way some punk like you could beat him, especially in that."

Knight heard Karr's scanner ripple with insult, laying a hand on the car's hood. "Why not, this punk beat you."

Vince's fists balled, but Dom stopped him before he could start a fight. "You got some fair speed out of that machine. Impressive for a domestic."

Knight grinned, knowing Karr would be about ready to blow now. "Thanks. Although the people that put it together deserve the credit, they did a great job. It's an amazing machine, as is yours," he replied, soothing Karr's ego at the same time.

Dom nodded slightly, hearing the mutual respect from the other man. He remembered Brian's speech about respect being more important than money when they first raced, and had to admit it had rubbed off on him. "I guess we can call it even. And have a rematch another night."

Knight nodded and offered a hand. Dom took it, shook hands. "Alright lets get out of here before the cops show up!"

**Next Morning**

"Oh shit," Dom said, rubbing his head as he watched the TV.

Letty gave him a worried look. "What's this mean for us?"

"Means we're gonna be back under scrutiny," Brian sighed, running his hand through his tussled blond hair, the only sign that it bothered him. "Someone's jackin trucks and we're gonna be the first suspects. Shit man."

"So what we gonna do?" Vince growled, Nyssa looking uncomfortable.

Knight came into the living room, his hair still glistening from the shower, and glanced at the TV. "Oh great."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dom asked quickly. "What do you know?"

"I know someone's leaked this to the press. Been trying to keep it quiet but I guess that didn't work."

Dom's jaw tightened. "You're a cop."

"No," Knight answered. "And the cops know it isn't you guys. Or they will soon. My boss will pass it on. There was a heist last night, and since I was with you guys all night…"

"It puts us in the clear," Brian said with relief. "So how long has it been going on?"

"The heists have been going on for a few months," Knight explained. "I work for a," he paused slightly, choosing his words carefully. "For a specialised branch of the FBI. We got called in to investigate, and me and my partner got sent to investigate."

"A partner," Dom interrupted. "Tran's girl?"

"Never met her before, but sometimes you just have to make new friends."

"So who's your partner bro?" Brian asked. Knight grinned slightly. "I'll take you to see him."

"How far we got to go?" Dom asked, grabbing his car keys. Knight's smile became a little more cryptic as he spoke. "Not as far away as you'd think."

The group assembled on the driveway, Knight stood by the black and silver Trans-am. "Meet my partner. Say hello Karr."

The Trans-am stayed silent, the gold lights on its front rippling into life as the team gave Knight "are you completely insane" looks. Knight shrugged. "It's ok Karr, they know. Someone leaked to the news about the heists, and I told them about us."

"Dude it's a car, it can't talk," Brian said hesitantly.

"Correct. But I am not a car," the Trans-am said coldly. "I am the Knight Automated Roving Robot. I prefer Karr."

"This is your partner?" Dom asked.

Karr answered, his tone irritated. "Were you not listening when he introduced me as such?"

Knight chuckled. "Karr, be civil."

"I am being civil," the Trans-am replied in steely tones.

Vince shook his head with disgust. "A talking car is your partner? Fat lot of good that is."

"Speech is the least remarkable of my functions, though it seems one of the most remarkable of yours," Karr replied coldly.

Letty stood in front of the Trans-am, her finger tracking the motion of Karr's scanners. "So what else can you do Karr?" she asked in a friendly tone.

Knight was surprised to hear warmth in Karr's voice. "Would you like me to show you?"

"Ok, what did you do?" Knight asked. "I've never heard him use that tone of voice."

Karr's scanner rippled quickly, and Letty soothingly rubbed her hand over the car's hood. "Don't tease him," she said warningly. "Yes Karr I would like you to show me what you can do."

The Trans-am's door opened smoothly. "You can get in if you like. You have permission."

Knight watched as Letty slid into the car, a little shocked. "How'd she do that? I've never seen Karr warm to anyone like that, but she's got him eating out of her hand."

"Letty talks to her car, to any car she's working on," Dom told him. "She's always done it. She says they listen, that every car has its own personality. I'm more surprised your car can talk, than I am that Let's sweet talked him."

The conversation was interrupted as the Trans-am engine rumbled to life, drawing Knight's attention. "Karr, what are you doing?"

"Taking Miss Ortiz for a spin."

Knight frowned slightly and opened his mouth to stop the AI, but was too late as Karr backed off the driveway, the Trans-am's sleek nose spinning around the rear as the car spun onto the street, showing of before accelerating smoothly away. "I don't believe this."

"Believe it," Kat said. "He'd react the same to Tempest. She does the same things as Letty. They're so alike…maybe that's why they dislike each other so much."

Dom nodded slightly. "Right, inside. We're gonna decide what happens next."

**End of Chapter 2****0…**


	21. Chapter 21: Sleek, Mean Machine

_Authors Note: Usual disclaimers apply. I still don't own Knight Rider, or Fast and the Furious. Thanks to Tempest-Races for beta-ing and fixing my mistakes, enjoy the chapter!_

_**Chapter 21: I'm gonna show her my sleek, mean machine. **_

"You may remove your hands from the wheel," Karr said quietly as the Trans-am roared across the suburb streets. "You are quite safe. I am quite capable of driving myself. In fact, I am capable of driving at high speeds much more safely than any human driver."

"Right," Letty replied, a little unsteadily, slowly lowering her hands from the wheel, relaxing as the wheel turned smoothly of its own accord. "And you've never crashed?"

"Not accidentally."

"You've crashed on purpose!?"

"My molecular bonded shell renders me virtually indestructible."

"The word 'virtually' in that sentence bothers me," Letty observed.

"My shell is completely indestructible," Karr clarified. "However, my systems can still be damaged, although it would require a significant amount of effort. I do however try to avoid undue risk of that."

"Why? If it's so hard to do, why try to avoid it?"

"It is a...." Karr struggled to find the words to explain. "It is a personality quirk."

"I don't know much about computers, but it seems odd to program in personality quirks."

"It is a remnant of my original programming," Karr replied. "My original program was self preservation. It was believed that as such, I would seek to avoid collisions thus protecting human life."

"So why did they change it?"

"Because they were wrong."

"That's not very comforting."

"Any occupants would have been safe. In testing, I had a choice. Crash into a wall, or crash into a mannequin simulating a human being. The mannequin was less likely to cause damage. On impact, it shattered quite satisfactorily. This disturbed my creators and they de-activated me, before creating a new improved car with a different AI."

"So why did they reactivate you?"

"There is a significant amount of history between those events and the present. I was originally a third generation Trans-am, not the fourth generation you are currently seated in."

"So they built you a new body, and re-activated you?"

"Essentially yes. While they were unable to completely alter my programming, they were able to introduce a new primary program, to preserve human life, as with my two successors." The AI paused for a second, before adding proudly "Fortunately, my personality was not affected. In my own opinion, it is distinctly different from those of my successors."

"I'll take your word for it," Letty replied, relaxing slightly. "Alright Karr, show me what you can do."

Wordlessly, the Trans-am increased its velocity, the dashboard lighting switching to pursuit mode, weaving in and out of traffic before finally reaching clear road, accelerating faster. Letty held her breath as she was pushed back in the seat, her eyes widening. "Karr, stop sign!"

The Trans-am blasted through the intersection with reckless abandon, clearing the intersection just before two other cars made it across. "_Madre de Dios!_ What happened to the preservation of human life!? Or self preservation?!"

"I had adequately timed the crossing. There was no danger of collision."

Letty couldn't help but laugh. "_Hijo de tu chingada_! You're my kind of car, Karr."

"Thank you," Karr replied, almost smugly. "But you haven't seen anything yet."

The Trans-am headed into the Hollywood hills at speed, tearing around curves and bends at breakneck speeds. Letty unconsciously grabbed the sides of the seat tightly as Karr hurtled through twists and turns, weaving in and out of traffic effortlessly, proudly stating "As you may have noticed, my performance is not hampered by terrain," the Trans-am slid around a hairpin perilously close to the edge as Karr continued "I was designed to operate in virtually any conditions," the AI paused. "Except snow. I do not like snow."

"We don't get much of that in LA," Letty smiled. "Can we pull over?"

Karr didn't reply, although he did slow down, pulling over to the side of the road, overlooking the city.

The engine purred softly as the car idled, before the engine finally shut off. Letty studied the dash intently for a few moments. "What do all these buttons do?"

"They provide a manual interface for my additional systems. Although I am perfectly capable of activating them myself."

"I see," Letty said quietly. She was silent for a few moments, before asking a question Karr found surprising. "Karr, what do you feel when you have someone in the drivers seat?"

"Pressure on my seats."

Letty laughed. "That's not exactly what I meant Karr."

"I'm not sure I understand the question," Karr stated. "What do you feel when situated behind the wheel?"

Letty's eyes widened slightly. "I've never really considered it. I guess it depends what I'm doing. Enjoyment mostly when I'm driving. When I race, it's exhilarating."

"What do you feel behind my wheel?"

"Impressed. And a little bit of fear."

"Why?"

Letty almost thought the Trans-am sounded hurt. "Its not fear of you. It's the lack of control. I'm in the driver's seat, but I wasn't driving. I had no control. If you span out of control and crashed, I wouldn't have been able to do anything about it. Even though I knew you wouldn't. But that's exciting in its own way."

"Thrill seeking," Karr said quietly, thoughtfully. "I'm beginning to understand."

"So what do you feel when someone's in the driver's seat?"

"I have not previously considered it," Karr stated, "the best answer I can give is that it varies. With the technicians at home, I can only attribute the feeling humans refer to as tense, although normally they refrain from my driver's seat. With the exception of Ms Barstow. She makes me feel looked after. With you I can only describe it as unusual. I am not used to anyone other than Ms Barstow or Knight sitting in the driver's seat"

"And with Knight?"

Karr was quiet for several moments before answering. "Safe. And complete."

"Interesting answer." Letty quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

"We're a team. We compliment each other. Without him, I am somehow less than I am with him, despite my diagnostics indicating otherwise. Just as without me, he is less than he is. And he stands up for me when no-one else will. He listens to me and defends me, without question. He didn't pick me; he let me choose to work with him."

When Letty was silent for several minutes, Karr added. "It is a complicated story. There are elements of my past that, as humans say, I am not proud of. I have been judged negatively as a result, and many are wary of me. With the exception of Knight. He listened to me, and drew his own conclusions. Where others blamed me for my choices, he did not."

Letty narrowed her eyes slightly. "Do you trust his judgement?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I do not know. As I understand it, is that not part of trust?"

"I guess so," Letty answered. "I guess it depends on how you look at it."

"I see. Then it is to do with perspective. My partner's perspective is often unique, but in this case, with the data available, his belief that you and your friends are innocent seems to be well placed."

Letty was silent for several minutes before speaking quietly. "Karr, we pulled heists like this a few years ago."

"I see."

"Does that change things?"

Now it was Karr that was silent for several minutes. Letty absently brushed her fingers over the lettering on the steering wheel before Karr finally spoke. "No. It doesn't change things. The original heists stopped for a reason. Presumably that reason was a good one, and one that hasn't changed. That you have volunteered that you were performing the original heists suggests that you aren't performing them now."

"That's it?"

"Should there be more?"

Letty blinked in confusion. "I mean, it's that simple, because I've told you we pulled heists previously, it suggests that we're not now, and that's enough for you?"

"If you were behind these heists, you would not be telling me you had done previously, you would be trying to conceal it and divert suspicion, not attract it," Karr replied, his tone bordering on irritation for a moment, before softening. "If it would make you feel better, you can tell me flat out that your family is not behind these heists. I will know if you're lying or not."

"Like a lie detector?" Letty was surprised. "You can do that?"

"Yes."

"Karr, you're incredible."

"Thank you. Just wait until you see my Turbo Boost."

Letty shook her head slightly. "What on earth is turbo boost?"

"Classified," Karr replied. The Trans-am's growled as the engine started, the in-screen HUD lighting up as the Trans-am reversed rapidly, spinning around in a J-turn, sand and dust kicking up from under the wheels as the car shot back down the mountain.

* * *

Toretto House

* * *

"I know what you're about to say Dominic, and I don't need any help."

The large Italian-American folded his arms across his chest. "Alright, so tell me what you know. Everything."

Knight frowned. "Someone's been jacking trucks in transit and the FBI thinks it's you. And they're fairly sure they can nail you this time. From reading the original file, it was a lack of evidence and Brian's testimony that meant they had to drop it last time, though I'll admit I started off on the assumption you guys did it, and Brian got you to stop without going to jail. I've been over the witness statements, the MO's always the same, three Honda Civics, precision driving. Two pull alongside the cab, the passengers pop out the sun roof aiming machine guns at the driver, the third pulls in front, its passenger pops up, uses a spear gun to smash the window, a second to throw a line into the cab and climb in. they knock out the driver, and take the truck somewhere to unload."

"Wait a second," Leon interrupted. "We never used machine guns to keep the drivers from trying anything."

"That's it," Knight realised suddenly. "That's what's been bothering me. I remember the case notes from the original heist, the vics always said that precision driving was used to herd the truck, keep em straight while someone pulled out the front window, and then someone else jumped on. With this one, they used guns, but the previous hijackings didn't. I knew something wasn't right when Karr showed me a re-creation."

"But it doesn't help," Brian observed. "Because if you used that as evidence, the team could still go down for the last heists. And I will for perjury and obstruction of justice."

"Like I said then," Dom commented. "Maybe we should have paid for it then."

"Then we either don't use it or bring it in as a difference in witness statements. I know you aren't pulling the heists this time; I was with the team the whole time. I can see that you've changed since then. Besides, way I see it, I'm not here to solve the previous hijackings, just the new ones,"

"Alright, so what else have you accomplished so far?" Dom asked.

"Well, I have you guys in the clear. I've been through Harry's computer records, and been through Hectors garage... and yours." Knight paused, waiting for the inevitable fall-out from that revelation. "Found nothing to link your family to the heists. Hector was less clear cut, he's got three Civics that could easily be mistaken for those involved at a glance, but closer investigation shows they aren't a match. Though the differences could be down to a quick tire change. Can't rule him out completely."

"What does the FBI think?" Brian asked quietly.

"They think it's you guys popping trucks. They still think you guys were responsible last time around, despite Brian's testimony otherwise. They couldn't prove it then, and Brian's little stint in Miami to help out Bilkin's just got them to stop looking at you closely. With the trucks heists starting again though, all bets are apparently off. Until now anyway when I can back up that you have nothing to do with it," Knight answered, leaving off an unspoken 'this time'.

Dom held up a hand. "Alright. What else? You looked at Tran?"

"He's on my list. Problem is, on some of those occasions, I've been with Jade, while a heist took place."

"But she might not be involved, or they're doing some of the jobs without her," Brian interjected.

"Or she's being used as a distraction," Dom said slowly. "Influencing you."

"She doesn't know who I am, or why I'm really here," Knight replied. "I haven't told her."

"Maybe not," Dom dragging a hand over his head, "but you're not looking at the Tran's coz she's part of his team. You don't want her to be part of the heists. Or you like her enough to not want to put her friends in jail."

Knight's jaw tightened. "Can't deny Tempest has the driving skills and the attitude. Not to mention the balls to try a stunt like that. Proved that winning that sprint race. Fairly."

"She beat you?" Dom asked. "Guess you aren't that good after all."

"She won because I haven't done any sprint races since I lived in Miami," Knight replied tightly. "And because I've only done sprint races through traffic twice previously."

"Through traffic?" Dom's brow rose. "Girls got more skills than I gave her credit for, give her that. But she beat you fairly with her rex, means I can beat you."

"Wouldn't count on it," Knight smirked. "Certainly not with Karr anyway. What else? Oh yeah, apparently there's some gang around, the Tigers? Need to check them out too."

"It isn't them," Kat interjected vehemently, her first input into the conversation. "I'd know. Sean and Connor could never keep something like that from me."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "It's probably worth looking into. You'd have to see what Brian thinks. He's the cop after all."

"Former cop," Brian reminded.

"You have any ideas?" Knight glanced between them. "I'm open to suggestions."

It was Dom's turn to frown. "Race wars."

"What about them?"

"It's probably your best chance to find out whose jacking trucks," Dom replied. "Brian didn't know for sure it was us till Race Wars. It should help you. And if Karr is really as impressive as he seems…"

"He is."

"Then he should be able to watch over your suspects at all times," Brian finished for the other man. Knight sighed. "How far away are they?"

"Starts this weekend. Tonight's the teams last night of races, so we can prep for wars," Dom answered.

Knight nodded. "But I can't just do nothing for the next few days."

"Investigate Ricky Tran," Dom told him. "You have a hunch its Hector, but you haven't really got anything to back it up, except a few cars that could or couldn't match up. And on Tran you have a bit more. You have evidence he has money, probable cause…"

"How so?" Knight asked. Dom shrugged in response. "If he found out somehow that the team pulled the heists—well, Brian killed his relative. And it isn't a secret anymore that Brian used to be a cop. If you add that up, or Tran adds that up—"

"Then he could figure that it was you behind the heists, and be trying to frame you guys for it again," Knight muttered, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully.

"Bit of a leap Dom," Brian offered. "But it's possible."

"He's been flashing the cash recently," Leon observed.

Brian shook his head. "Family ties. PD looked into last time."

"The SWAT raid," Dom glared at Brian. The blond shrugged helplessly. "Wasn't my call Dom."

"I've heard rumours of a gang connection." Vince scowled.

"Not rumours, he has his own gang, he took it over from Johnny," Dom replied. Vince snorted. "I'm not talking his crew Dom. From what I hear, he's well connected."

"And where'd you hear that?" Dom asked. Vince met his gaze evenly. "I may not get involved in that stuff anymore, but I still know people. I keep my ears open."

"We need to have a talk about this." Dom glared. "But later. We have more important things to worry about."

Knight frowned. "And I have somewhere new to look."

_**End of Chapter 21...**_


	22. Chapter 22: Not made of Steel

___Authors Note: I still don't own Knight Rider, or Fast and the Furious. Apologies for the lack of recent updates, real life has been getting in the way of writing. Hopefully you'll enjoy the continuation of the story. Thanks to Tempest-Races for beta-ing and fixing my mistakes, enjoy the chapter!_

_**Chapter 22: You wanted a hero tonight. Well, I'm not made of steel. I'm not made of steel, but your secret's safe with me.**_

Karr was pulling back onto the driveway as Knight stepped outside. Letty stepped out as the car stopped, running a hand along the edge of the door. Knight couldn't help but smile. "Enjoy the ride?"

"He's incredible," Letty replied. "And from what he tells me, what I've seen barely scratches the surface."

"Karr has a lot of tricks up his sleeve," Knight smirked. "He's a force to be reckoned with."

"Thank you," the Trans-am said. Knight glanced down at the gently pulsing scanners. "You ready for business?"

"Always."

"Good," Knight smiled and looked up at Letty. "I'd love to chat more, but I need to speak to my bosses and put you guys in the clear."

"That's more important," the Latina replied. "Thanks."

"No problem," Knight nodded, squeezing her shoulder. Letty grinned and headed inside, as Knight slung himself into the Trans-am. "Alright Karr, get me Michael online."

Karr wordlessly opened a comm. channel, displaying the vidscreen on the HUD. Knight smirked as his boss appeared on the screen. "Morning boss."

"Good morning," Michael took a sip of coffee. "What's up?"

"There was a heist last night. I was with the Toretto's the whole time. It isn't them."

Michael raised an eyebrow and put his coffee down. "Well, that's progress."

"Some anyway." Knight answered.

"So what are you planning next?"

Knight winced slightly. "I told the team what I'm really doing here."

"What?"

"I didn't have a choice. The heist made it onto the news this morning. I had to let them know they were in the clear. I know, I know, I'm too close to it."

There was no humour on Michael's face. "Yes, you are. Unfortunately at this point, any attempts to put anyone else in would likely fail, so you're all we've got. What have you got in mind?"

"I'm going to be taking a good long luck at Ricky Tran's place tonight. Toretto thinks it's him, and I agree with the thinking behind it. Tran could be framing them, trying to get even. Brian did shoot his brother after Johnny shot Jessie. There's a lot of history between the Tran's and Toretto's and none of its good. Did you turn anything up?"

"Seems he's cleaner than his brother. Couple of charges for carrying concealed weapons, none of em stuck. Since his brother was killed, he's been clean. They know he's racing bikes and cars, but never been able to get him in the act. The families wealthy, which would explain the cash he's able to throw around. But his businesses are legitimate, and apparently doing quite well."

"So if money isn't a motive, revenge certainly could be."

"It's a possibility, but shooting your friend down would be a lot easier," Michael told him. "What else have you got in mind?"

"Race Wars is coming up."

"What's Race Wars?"

"Big racing event held somewhere in the desert. It's a big deal among the racing crowd. Should provide a good opportunity to keep an eye on the main players."

"Sounds like a good idea then."

"According to the report this morning, something went wrong with the heist last night. The truck was abandoned, shot full of holes and dead on the side of the road. Guessing the trucker gave them a bit of a fight," Knight let a smile show. "I want to take a look at the truck, see what we can find. And a copy of the report from the LAPD's crime scene guys."

"I'll make enquiries. You know you won't be able to get close to the crime scene legitimately right?"

Now Knight smirked. "I've got a plan in mind."

"Alright," Michael replied. "Get to work then, I'll send the report to Karr as soon as it comes through."

The comm. channel signed off, and Knight patted the dashboard. "You heard the man. Let's get Brian out here shall we?"

"This isn't going to work."

"This was your idea, not mine," Knight told the blond.

Brian glared at him. "Your idea was stupid."

"But it would have worked."

"I'm not blasting past the cops guarding that truck in my car. There's no guarantee they'd give chase, and even if they did, there's no guarantee I could lose them and not get caught," Brian replied, exasperated.

Knight shrugged. "There's no guarantee they'll respond to a phoney radio call."

"If you're finished bickering, I have their radio frequency," Karr spoke up. "We can put the call in anytime."

"Just a minute Karr," Knight told the AI. He glanced back over at Brian. "What do you think about the place they ditched the truck?"

"Smart," Brian replied. "It's an industrial area, and a container park. Not far from the Terminal Island freeway, lots of trucks coming and going. Whose gonna notice one more parked up truck cab?"

Knight tilted his head slightly. "Good place to steal a replacement cab too, haul the trailer out of here. Not much car traffic to get in the way. Think this was coincidental or planned?"

"Rushed. The last few hijackings have been all over, only this one was so close to the loading area," Brian answered. "Has to be a reason."

"You mean besides a shot up truck that probably couldn't run far?" Knight snorted.

Brian gave him an embarrassed grin. "Besides that. Time for a closer look?"

Knight nodded. "Karr, would you do the honours?"

"_Attention all units, attention all units, black Honda Civic has been reported driving west past at high speed on East Sepulveda Boulevard towards West Willow Street, repeat heading west on East Sepulveda Boulevard at high speed_." Karr transmitted over the police frequency. "_Vehicle is driving erratically, proceed with caution_."

Knight watched on the screen as the two officers standing guard on the truck looked at each other, before jumping in their squad car. The sirens blared as the black and white took off, screaming out of Intermodal way. Knight glanced at Brian and grinned. "Nice work Karr."

"Thank you."

The Trans-am rumbled to life, leaving the car park and heading up Intermodal way before pulling off into the dusty industrial park, halting near the wrecked truck cab. The two men got out and headed towards the truck. Brian glanced over at his friend. "Remember, don't touch anything."

"Not a problem," Knight nodded, pulling leather gloves on, and glanced back over his shoulder. "Do your thing pal."

"I'm on it," the Trans-am replied, its dual scanners rippling back and forth.

The two men walked cautiously around the truck, halting by the front of the truck. "Collision damage."

"Some impact," Brian noted. "If it hit one of their cars, the car is probably wrecked."

"Karr?"

"I believe that to be old. The exposed metal is beginning to rust. However, the crumpling on the driver's side wheel arch is new, and contains flecks of black paint."

"The Civics. What else pal?"

"Bullet holes are consistent with 9mm impact damage. I have detected multiple bullet paths into the engine, and two into the front tyre. There are also holes in the driver's door."

Brian moved around to the cab door and peered inside. "Blood."

"According to details from the hospital computer, that would be the driver's blood," Karr told them.

Knight hauled himself up onto the wheel arch, leaning over the hood, "Karr, there's blood on the broken windshield. Also the drivers?"

"Analysing." The car replied. "Blood markers indicate a Caucasian male. Not a match for the driver."

"One of the hijackers," Brian commented. "Helpful once we can identify them, just to link them to the scene. Not so helpful until then. Doesn't even link us to Tran."

Knight crouched down by a set of tyre tracks. "Maybe. Maybe not. Some of his team are Caucasian males. Karr, do these tracks match those at the other site?"

"They're a match for the prints found at the previous sites. Wheel base is consistent with a Honda Civic manufactured between nineteen ninety-two and the year two thousand. Tread depth indicate the cars weight is around one thousand, one hundred kilos, which makes it more likely to be the model made between ninety-two and ninety-five."

"Which is consistent with the previous heists indicating a ninety-five Honda Civic," Knight said calmly.

Brian nodded. "And matches the cars used in the heists the team did."

"Yeah well, let's not say that too loudly," Knight said. "Last thing we need is someone catching that on a security camera and handing it to the cops."

"Ian, Brian, there is a squad car approaching." Karr announced.

"That's our queue to exit, start her up pal," Knight replied, as he and Brian sprinted to the sleek black and silver car.

Racers had already gathered when the team arrived, waiting for Dom to start the nights proceedings. Knight wasn't interested in the different goings on. He was too busy watching Ricky Tran interacting with Tempest and her team. Knight noted with interest how its tone changed, the intensity between members. He quickly diverted his attention as Jade moved away from them and approached him with a swing in her hips and smiled, trying to appear nonchalant while watching Team Tempest. Craig appeared to say something angrily, then headed over to his car, his brother Dan following, both their demeanours changing as they approached the girls gathered around their cars. Knight raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering what all that was about, then put it behind him as Jade pressed herself up against him. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," Knight brushed her hair back over her ear "You racing tonight?"

"Maybe," she smiled. "You?"

"Probably," Knight answered. "Any plans for tomorrow night?"

"Depends what time Tempest finishes at the garage, why?"

"Don't like surprises?" Knight teased. She slapped his chest gently "Why?"

"I thought I'd take you out to dinner," Knight replied.

"Making your move huh?"

"Something like that," Knight answered.

Knight watched the Aston Martin belonging to Craig Cowell lining up against a yellow Ferrari Modena, a blue Lotus and a Mitsubishi GTO Twin Turbo. To Knight, the Lotus seemed severely out of its depth compared to the other cars. Still, his money was on Craig winning this one anyway, although he thought it would be a close match. Inside the Aston Martin, Craig was opening the NOS valve, waiting for the go, revving the engine up loudly. Tempest called the go, and the cars tore away from the line.

The cars stayed level for a couple of seconds, feeling each other out, before the cars began to separate, the Lotus falling behind, bringing up the rear of the pack, just behind the Mitsubishi as the Ferrari began to streak away, getting into the lead. A second later, the pace of the Aston Martin picked up, catching up to the Modena. The other two cars hit their nitrous, pulling level, momentarily, all four of them within inches of each other, all struggling to get an edge on each other. Sparks flared from the Lotus, its speed falling rapidly as it was left behind by the other cars, the Ferrari beginning to pull away from the other cars as they approached the line.

With seconds to spare, the Aston Martin surged forward, leaping into the lead with a surge of nitrous. The remaining two cars hit theirs, in an effort to catch up, but they were too late as Craig hit his second shot, the DB9 roaring as the cars crossed the line, taking the win by more than a car length. They pulled over back at the start line, Craig wearing his trademark charismatic but slightly cocky grin as he received congratulations from his team and from other racers, and leading the ribbing of the Lotus driver.

The celebration was cut short as Leon called out that the cops were on their way. Seconds later, cop cruisers tore into the street, the racers peeled away in their cars. Knight couldn't see Jade in the scramble, and hoped she was ok. The distraction was more beneficial for him and Brian though. If he couldn't see her, then she couldn't see them as they headed out and he didn't want her knowing what he and Brian were up to tonight.

His attention was snapped back to the road by Karr. "Knight, in front of us."

Knight slammed on the brakes, the Trans-am skidding to a half with a police cruiser mere inches from its nose. Knight shoved the Trans-am into reverse, Brian grabbing the dashboard as the sleek black and silver car sped backwards. Knight could just make out the cruisers driver asking his partner what kind of car could go so fast in reverse. Karr flashed up a graphic on screen. "We have a problem. Two more cruisers are approaching us from the rear."

"You know what to do Karr."

"Like this?" the car asked as it rode up and balanced on its two left wheels, still reversing at speed, passing through the small gap between the two cruisers.

Knight grinned at Brian's expression. "Just like that Karr," he told the sleek machine as it thudded back down onto all four wheels, still rolling backwards. Knight slammed the car back into drive, and tore the machine around the side of the cop cruisers, and barrelled down a side street. "Give me a course for Tran's place in Little Saigon."

"On the monitor," Karr replied coldly.

Knight glanced at it. "Thanks Karr."

"This is the place," Brian said as the Trans-am pulled over outside the warehouse. "Ricky Tran's headquarters."

"Ok Karr, tell me what you see."

The cars display monitors lit up, the computer graphic flashing through the full spectrum of colours, then switched to a skeletal graphic of the building and its surroundings. "The building is surrounded by an electric fence and the gate is mechanical. The building is alarmed, operating on motion sensors. The alarms will also go off if the computers or lights are activated," Karr reported.

Knight nodded. "Tough security."

"We've dealt with worse," Karr replied. "The power for the fence comes from another location. I can't knock it out without disrupting the entire block."

"Great," Knight replied.

Karr made an irritated noise. "Let me finish. I can activate the gate. Once we're through, I can disable the alarm system. It also acts on a sensor, and can be operated by remote."

"Must be so they can open the door as they drive in," Brian said. "They've upped security since I was here last. We didn't have any problems like this when me, Dom and Vince came snooping around."

"What do you know, crime rate increases business for security companies. Karr, haven't you got that gate open yet? What are you waiting for?"

"Musical accompaniment," Karr replied coldly, a waveform showing up on his screen, an image of the controls behind it. The wave oscillated, changing colour, then turned green, the gate sliding open, the black and silver car sliding through quietly. "Do you wish me to open the main door?"

"It'd draw too much attention," Brian said quietly.

Knight nodded. "He's right Karr. We'll find another way in. Just do something about the alarm."

"Very well," Karr replied as they climbed out of the Trans-am, Brian checking his pistol was loaded.

Knight shook his head. "No guns."

"What if Tran shows up?"

"We lay low. I don't like guns," Knight replied.

Brian frowned. "You were trained by an army ranger, you must know how to use them."

"There's a difference between knowing how to use them, and liking doing," Knight replied. "Put it away."

Brian reluctantly thumbed the safety, and put the gun in the car. Knight nodded. "Thanks. Ok Karr, get lost so they don't spot you. And close the gate on your way out."

"And turn the fence back on," Karr replied, backing away quietly. Knight watched for a moment, then headed up the drain pipe after Brian.

The two slid down from the skylight, down the hood of a car to the floor below. Brian flipped on a flashlight and started looking around. "Where do we start?"

Knight snapped his flashlight on and glanced at the cars. "None of these are Civics."

Brian crossed over to a desk littered with papers and started leafing through them. "Nothing here."

"What is this place?" Knight asked. "Why does he need a garage like this when he has Tempest running one for him, it doesn't make sense."

"Tempest is probably paying him back for it. If she ever can, which isn't likely where he's concerned," Brian replied. "It might just be that it's for working on his cars. His own private cars."

"Maybe," Knight said, his eyes resting on something. He crossed over to an area in shadows, lifting a helmet with a gold tinted visor. "Maybe not."

"What is it?"

"A helmet, like for scramble biking. Or paintballing," Knight answered. "But it matches the description given by the driver."

"And you can probably get an identical helmet at half a dozen stores all over LA," Brian said. "Doesn't prove anything. Especially when half his gang use motorcycles."

"Might just be a coincidence then," Knight replied. "I just got this feeling otherwise. A hunch."

"Can't rely on hunches," Brian replied, examining a spool of cord. "For example, this is the same kind of rope used in spear guns. But it has lots of other uses too. All we have is circumstantial."

"Just like everything else in this assignment," Knight cursed softly. His comm. link beeped and Karr's voice came over the tiny speaker. "_We have an intruder._"

"What do you mean Karr?"

"_I detect a car, and a group of armed motorcyclists approaching. By my estimate, they will be arriving in about thirty seconds. Might I suggest you make your exit_?"

"I think we're the intruders," Brian said quietly. "Sounds like Ricky Tran."

"That doesn't matter," Knight replied. "We're out of here," he finished, scrambling back onto the hood of the car up on hydraulics, pulling Brian up after him. "Go, go!" he urged as the door started to open, climbing up through the skylight after Brian just after the lights came on.

As they shimmied down the drain pipe, the quiet air of night was disturbed by a phone ringing. Knight cursed, realising it was his and glanced through a window to see that Ricky and his gang had heard the noise and searching for it.

"Shit. Brian, drop," he ordered, quickly doing so himself, grunting as he hit the ground, grimacing as pain shot through his knees. "KARR!"

The roar of an engine announced the Trans-am's entrance as it smashed through the electric fence, sparks flying, crackling over the car. If it hurt, Karr made no indication of it, spinning the sleek black and silver Trans-am around, the car doors opening. Knight and Brian had just barely shut them when the car sprang into motion, accelerating away rapidly from the Tran warehouse as the gang of Asians ran out. A few took pot shots at the car with their weapons, few hitting the target, and the ones that did, bouncing off harmlessly as the car sped into the night.

Knight yanked out his cell phone swearing. "God damn it," saw the unrecognised number and that he had voicemail and punched it up. He recognised Jade's voice instantly, his face falling as he hung up the phone.

Brian saw his look. "What is it?"

"Jade's in jail. Cops caught her leaving the races."

"I guess that means we're making a detour on the way home?" Brian asked.

Knight nodded. "Two. I need a cover story. We're gonna bring in the beers."

"She doesn't know what you're doing?"

"Nope," Knight answered.

"That's bad."

Knight just glanced at Brian in response and didn't answer, a small sense of wrongness settling in his gut.

Tempest growled as her phone rang, and headed out of the club. "What do you want Ricky?"

"I need some of your…more specialist skills."

Tempest stayed silent for a moment. "I don't do that anymore."

"You'll do what I tell you. Unless you want to spend a lot of time in an eight by six cell."

"What do you need?"

"Someone's been snooping around my private garage. I want him eliminated."

"Who?"

"Knight. I saw his Trans-am blasting out of here as fast as its wheels could carry it."

"He's Jade's friend. And she's my friend," Tempest replied.

Tran's response was swift. "I don't care about that. I want him taken out. Immediately. Get it done, or I'll make sure you're the prison bitch."

The phone went dead. Tempest glared at it as if she found it offensive, flipped it shut and dropped it in her pocket, heading back inside the club.

**End of Chapter 2****2…**


	23. Chapter 23: White Bird

_Usual applies. I don't own Knight Rider, or FATF. Thanks to Tempest-Races for allowing me to use her characters, and her FATF sandbox, love you. And thank you for fixing my mistakes. With that said and done, enjoy the chapter!_

_**Chapter 23: White Bird Must Fly, Or She Will Die**_

_**24 Hours later**_

"So, what do you want to do next?" Knight asked as they left the restaurant.

Jade twirled in the car park as they walked over to the black and silver Trans-am. "I dunno. Nothing energetic. I feel full, that was really good food."

"Dom said it was the best Italian restaurant in the city," Knight grinned. "I can believe it."

"It's a beautiful night," Jade told him, looking up at the sky.

Knight looked upwards. "Yeah it is."

"When I was a kid, I used to sit and watch the stars. Can't do that here, not well anyways. Too many bright lights," Jade sighed. "Need a wide open space."

"We could go to the beach, sit and watch the stars for a bit."

Jade laughed. "You're kidding right? It's the middle of the night, it'll be freezing."

"I didn't say we'd stay long," Knight grinned. "I don't relish the idea of freezing to death."

"We can go dancing afterwards to warm up," Jade replied, a hint of suggestiveness in her voice. Now it was Knight's turn to laugh "I can't dance."

"Good, I'll get a good laugh at your expense," Jade teased.

Knight was about to reply, when Karr's voice echoed across the street. "GET DOWN!"

Knight grabbed Jade and yanked her down to the ground, hearing the crack of a rifle over the powerful roar of Karr's engine as the sleek machine darted from its parking space. The first shot hit the ground a few feet away, kicking up gravel and dust. Brakes screeched, as Karr put himself between them and the shooter, Knight covering both his and Jade's faces before glancing up at the sleek obsidian form now shielding them. "Where?"

"On the roof top," Karr replied, this time his voice coming over the in-ear comm. link.

Knight cautiously peered over the top of the car, ducking back down as a gleaming red dot moved across the car's auto roof.

He pulled Jade closer to the car while yanking the Trans-am's door open. "Get in the car!"

Small flashes lit up against the windows and the bodywork as bullets hit the car, Knight hauling himself in behind Jade as she scrambled across to the passenger seat. Once they were both in, Knight slammed the door shut, noticing the change in fire rate. Whoever the shooter was, their weapon acted just as well as an automatic weapon as it did a sniper rifle. He'd have to quiz Mike later. Jade flinched, her arms over her head as she drew herself up into a ball against the passenger seat as the bullets bounced harmlessly off the windscreen. He put a hand on her arm reassuringly as he looked back over his shoulder, reversing the car away from the shooter. "It's alright, relax. The car's bullet-proof, and we're out of range."

Jade moved her arms slightly and gave him a nervous look. "Why do you have a bullet proof car?"

"Perk of the job," Knight shrugged, trying to make it sound like a joke. She gave him a suspicious look, and he raised his open hands in mock surrender. "Knight Industries came up with a chemical, that when it hardens, forms a molecular bonded shell. It's designed to lessen damage in collisions. Impact resistant. Which fortunately includes bullet impacts," Knight told her, ignoring the fact that while he was telling her the truth, he was misleading her and keeping things from her as well.

"So it's just a coincidence that its bullet proof?"

Knight nodded. "That's right."

"So next question…the car moved by itself."

"That's not a question," Knight stalled for time.

"And that's not a denial."

"Say you were a big industrial company working on a prototype automatic pilot for cars. Wouldn't you want to protect the car from damage should it go wrong?"

"So what you want me to believe is that you're a test driver, for a car that can drive itself, and that it just happens to essentially be armoured in case something goes wrong, and you can't stop it from crashing?"

Knight winced mentally. It did sound like a weak cover story. And Jade obviously knew it as she asked her next question. "And you expect me to believe that, when someone's just tried to shoot you?"

"Maybe they were shooting at you."

"While I'm fairly sure there are people that have a problem with me, I don't think any of them would try to kill me. Especially not like that. Do you want to tell me the truth now? Especially when I definitely heard another voice, on an empty street, or do you expect me to believe I imagined it?"

"I think we've been rumbled," Knight admitted ruefully.

"We?" Jade asked.

"Your idea of a cover story was rather weak," a cold, smooth voice emanated within the Trans-am.

"You didn't exactly make it easy, giving yourself away like that."

"Very well. Next time, I'll allow you to be shot, rather than take action to preserve your life."

"Fair point. I'm sorry."

By this point, Jade looked immensely confused. "Who are you talking to?"

"You want to handle this one pal?"

"He's talking to me," the mysterious voice said, greenish-yellow LEDs above the steering column flickering in the time with the voice. "I am the Knight Automated Roving Robot. KARR, if you prefer."

"It talks? The car talks?"

"How observant. I'll bet she even knows how many tyres I have."

"They're over inflated," Knight told him –"Be nice."

"How can a car talk?" Jade asked.

Knight shrugged. "It's all computers, and beyond anything I know about them. All I know is it works, don't ask me how, I don't know, and I don't wanna know."

"You wouldn't understand it anyway," Karr muttered.

"Alright," she regarded him steadily. "So who are you really, and what are you doing here?"

"I am really Ian Knight, and I do work for Knight Industries."

"But not as a test driver."

"We have what you might call a freelance department. We sometimes get asked to help out law enforcement agencies," Knight replied carefully, not willing to tell the truth in its entirety.

"So why are you here?"

"In the last couple of months, there've been a series of truck hijackings. My partner and I got sent undercover to investigate because the vehicles described matched a case from about a year ago, with connections to street racing. I was chosen coz I used to be a street racer, it's why I was hired."

"This is insane... you're crazy."

"I'm not crazy, right Karr?"

"I was under the impression you are," Karr replied. "But if you wish me to try convince her otherwise, I will attempt to do so. However, since I strongly suspect she may be correct, success isn't guaranteed."

"Thanks pal."

"You're welcome."

Jade shook her head slightly. "I think you should take me home. It's been a weird night, just with everything," she gestured vaguely with her hands."

"Fair enough," Knight replied. "It's a lot to take in. We're not far away, I'll drop you off. Give you some space to process it all."

"Thanks."

The cabin fell silent as the car continued on its path.

After taking Jade home, Knight started driving the car aimlessly through LA, not saying a word. Karr ignored this for a while, choosing instead to monitor the police band, and CV band transmissions. The night seemed quiet, and eventually Karr grew bored. "You're quiet."

"I'm thinking. Hey, what are you doing?"

Karr pulled the Trans-am over to the side of the road, and stopped the car, shutting the engine down, deliberately ignoring his driver.

"What are you doing pal?"

"You said you were thinking. I read somewhere that you shouldn't drive in a state of shock, as its potentially dangerous. Should I call you an ambulance, or direct you to the nearest hospital?"

Knight snorted. "Funny guy."

"Who's joking? I'm being serious."

"Karr."

"Alright. I am joking. What are you thinking?"

"Something I'd rather not be."

"Would you care to elaborate?" the AI queried.

Knight was silent for several long moments. "Only a handful of people knew where we were going tonight pal. And only one of them wasn't a Toretto."

"Do you believe Ms Barrett is involved in the heists?"

"Maybe. Or she told someone who is."

"She didn't know we were investigating until tonight."

"No. But Tran may do. If she told her friends where we were going, and he decided to take a shot?"

"Why do you think Tran?"

"After last night, he has motive," Knight fell silent for a moment. "Did you get a fix on the shooter? An image?"

"Not a good one I'm afraid," Karr replied, putting the image up on the HUD.

Knight shook his head. "Too much light blur, obscures anything in the shadows. Can you clean it up any?"

"Unfortunately not. We may be able to at the semi, with the systems there."

"Put a call out to Michael, see if he and Bonnie can get out on the road."

* * *

**Next Day**

* * *

The door on the rear of the semi lowered slowly as the black and silver Trans-am approached, forming a ramp as the two vehicles moved along the road. The Trans-am was moving slightly faster, gliding up the ramp and coming to a halt, the door closing behind it as Knight exited the car. "I think I may have stirred up the hornet's nest."

"How's that?" Michael asked.

Knight leaned on the wall of the semi. "Someone took a shot at me last night."

"Sadly not the metaphorical kind of shot," Karr added. Knight glared at the Trans-am. "I think you better be quiet since you didn't get a make on the shooter after they left the roof."

"You never asked," Karr replied coldly. "And I did get an image of the shooter."

Knight shook his head. "I shouldn't have to. And that was not an image. That was a blur, and a useless one at that."

"Let me have it Karr," Bonnie told the Trans-am. "I'll run it through the computers, see if we can clean it up, get a recognisable face from it."

"Very well," the car replied, scanner rippling back and forth once. Michael looked back and forth between Knight and Karr. "Are you two finished?"

Karr didn't reply except for a swish of the scanner mounted on his front, Knight matching the sentiment with a shrug. Michael sighed. "Who do you think is responsible for the shooting?"

"My money's on Ricky Tran," Knight answered. "I think he saw us two nights ago when we went to check out his private garage. Plus I think I provoked him when I asked Jade out."

"You were out with her last night?" Michael asked, suddenly serious.

Knight knew he was in trouble. "Yeah. I was. Had to explain Karr to her as well. One of the few drawbacks to having a bullet proof car."

"It's the distraction she provides that concerns me, not to mention that you're getting far too involved with people in this case."

"Come on Michael," Knight protested.

"She's a distraction, and right now, I think she's putting you at risk. And didn't you tell me that she's connected to Ricky Tran? For all you know she's involved with the heists!"

"She isn't!" Knight answered, raising his voice slightly. Bonnie intervened.

"Michael, trust him. Like Devon trusted you with Stevie."

Michael tensed up. "Just be careful, alright," and headed into the back of the semi. Knight frowned and looked at Bonnie. "What was that about? Who the hell is Stevie?"

"She was Michael Long's fiancée."

"That was Michael's birth name right?"

"It was," Bonnie explained –"When they saved his life, when he became Michael Knight, he had to leave his old life behind, including her."

"So how does she fit in?"

"She was working at a law firm. Her boss represented a Mob boss, and asked her to take a briefcase downstairs to a waiting sedan. The feds arrested her, and tried to use her to get her boss. Michael saw an article about her arrest in the paper and got the foundation involved. You can read about it in the archives, the assignment was codenamed 'White Bird,' file number 57330. There was another case, file 60212, she was involved in two years later, which caused Michael a bit of hurt."

"And this Devon, he was boss at the time? And he trusted Michael to not let his personal involvement interfere?" Knight asked.

Bonnie nodded. "That's the short version."

Knight contemplated that briefly. "Thanks Bonnie. Tell Mike I'm sorry ok? I didn't mean to stir up old memories."

"I will. Now get out of here, and get the job done. Don't make me regret intervening."

"You got it," Knight grinned, sliding into Karr's driver seat as Bonnie spoke. "Be careful."

"I will," Knight answered as Bonnie finished. "And take care of Ian too."

"I will Bonnie," Karr replied, his tone coldly amused as Knight thumped his head on the steering wheel, before backing the sleek Trans-am out of the semi, and spinning it around, heading for DT autos.

The Trans-am pulled to a fast halt outside DT autos, Knight leaping out and heading inside. "Where's Brian?"

"Him and Dom are at Harry's picking up parts, why?" Letty asked, rolling out from under a Focus. Knight quickly explained, "I think Ricky Tran saw us at his warehouse. Someone took a shot at me last night while I was out with Jade."

"It could be that bitch Tempest. _Una cosa asquerosa_. She's got the skill to do it and she's always been in bed with Ricky. _E__lla puede ir al infierno__,_" Letty replied.

Knight shrugged. "I suppose it could be, but Jade doesn't think so. I just wanted to warn Brian, let him know."

"I'll tell him when he gets back," Letty promised. "How's Karr?"

"He's fine. Fortunately his shell is virtually indestructible. A few bullets can't damage him."

"_Even if they do sting,_" Karr's voice came over the comm. link.

Knight sighed. "Has Bonnie managed to get a reasonable image of the shooter yet?"

"_No,_" Karr replied shortly, and the link went dead.

Letty raised an eyebrow. "What was all that about?"

"Family feud," Knight wise-cracked.

Letty shook her head. "You shouldn't tease him so much. He may put a brave face on it for you, but he's very insecure. He told me about his past."

"I know. He has as many issues with trust as I do."

"Then maybe you shouldn't tease him so much," Letty pointed out, returning to the car she was working on.

Knight shrugged to himself. "Maybe not."

"Definitely not," Letty told him from under the car before she rolled back out again. "Just out of curiosity, could you have beaten Dom?"

"You mean me and Karr, or just me with an ordinary car?"

"Just you. I know Karr could have beaten him, with or without you driving," Letty smirked. Karr's voice came over the comm. link. "_Thank you._"

Knight ignored him and shrugged. "I don't know. Me and Brian are fairly evenly matched, and if Brian can't take him…"

"No if about it, Brian can't take Dom in a race," Letty quickly interrupted.

Knight shrugged. "If Brian can't, then there's no way I could. I'm good, but Dom looks to be a lot better. Probably only Kat in his league…maybe Tempest."

Letty sneered slightly. "She wishes."

Knight grinned slightly. "We'll see. Warn Brian for me?"

"Will do. Now get out of here, let me work."

"You got it," Knight grinned, and headed out. "Karr, what did she say before? The Spanish I mean."

"It wasn't very complimentary," Karr offered with his trademark cool steely voice, "However if you wish to know?"

"I'll pass thanks pal," Knight grinned. "Come on, we got things to do."

**That night**

Knight pulled Karr up with the other racers, Jade with him. Team Toretto weren't racing tonight, so he'd joined her to go sprint racing. Tempest was calling the shots as usual. He was impressed to see an Aston Martin Vanquish S. At one point in time, it was supposed to be the fastest Aston Martin ever made. With 520bhp at 7000rpm he could believe it, especially when it was rumoured to easily exceed speeds of 200mph. The first race was about to get started, Craig facing off with the guy who owned the Vanquish S, the Subaru Impreza Knight had raced previously and a Mustang Cobra SVT. Knight noticed a dark look cross the face of Ricky Tran as Tempest started the race, the four cars tearing away from the line. Knight punched up a visual display from Karr, watching as the cars bolted down the first stretch of road, fortunately clear of traffic as they jostled for position. The lead car changed rapidly, the two Aston Martin's trying hard to out do each other, the Subaru keeping up with them as they rounded the first bend, the Subaru on the inside.

Craig's DB9 pulled ahead slightly, the Vanquish falling behind slightly as it went round the bend too wide. There was a slight scraping of metal as the Impreza slid by the side of the DB9, then swerved suddenly to avoid an oncoming car, letting Craig take the lead again. The Impreza's back end swung out wildly, the car's tyres trying to find purchase on the road as the car swung back in line, the other two cars flashing by in an instant. Its driver hit the nitrous, and caught up with the other two cars. The cars pulled in close together, swerving in and out of each others paths to stop each other getting past. The other two cars hit nitrous, and Craig hit his nitrous, pulling away from them even faster. He swerved to the left, then the far left lane to avoid an oncoming car, diving back across to the right, falling level with the Impreza. The DB9 pulled forward again slightly, the Impreza moving into his slipstream, then pulling ahead as they went into the last bend. Craig yanked on the wheel tightly to avoid slamming into the side of the Vanquish as it came up the inside, clipping the Impreza at over a hundred miles an hour. The results were spectacular, the Impreza smashing into the central reservation of the road, the front end crumpling as it hit the concrete, flipping up and over the barrier into the oncoming traffic. The car hit the tarmac, and rolled over, skidding along on its roof, sparks flaring from the friction. An oncoming car smashed into wreck, and flipped over into the central reservation. Knight watched on Karr's view screen as two more cars collided with the wreckage. "Karr, call an ambulance."

"Already done. The police have doubtless been notified as well, due to the circumstances."

"Great," Knight groaned, watching as with a surge of nitrous, Craig blasted his DB9 past the Vanquish to take first place, the Mustang bringing up the rear of the pack. the cars didn't stop for long, each one roaring away from the scene of the accident, the other racers doing the same, obviously heading for a pre-arranged meeting point in the event of such an accident, every racer knowing that soon the local PD would be crawling around the site looking for those involved. Knight turned the Trans-am after Craig's DB9, following in its wake towards the meeting point, the cars occupants silent.

**End of Chapter 23…**

_NB: The "case numbers" are actually the production numbers for the episodes guest starring David Hasselhoff's then wife Catherine Hickland as "Stephanie Mason"_


	24. Chapter 24: Looking For Adventure

_**Chapter 24: Get your Motor Running, Head Out On The Highway, Looking For Adventure, And Whatever Comes Our Way**_

"I thought I told you to eliminate Knight," Ricky snarled angrily.

Tempest flicked her hair back . "I did as you asked."

"Then why isn't Knight dead?" Ricky yelled, getting in her face.

Tempest gave him an icy look. "Don't yell at me again. I shot off a whole clip, and he was dead in my sights. The goddamn car's bullet proof or something."

"Don't make excuses, you failed," Ricky growled, "but then it's always been said if you want something done right, do it yourself."

"Yeah well good luck with that," Tempest growled.

"Is now a bad time to tell you that the car is in fact bulletproof?" Jade glared at them both icily. "I know you wanted me to keep him busy, but taking shots at me wasn't part of the plan."

"What did you find out?" Tran asked coldly.

Jade narrowed her eyes at him. "Knight works for some freelance law enforcement agency, a division of Knight Industries. And he admitted he was investigating the truck heists. Oh and get this, the car has an onboard computer that controls the entire vehicle."

"Wonderful," Tran glared at Tempest. "This guy is out to put all of us in jail, and you show you can't hit a simple target."

"Someone yelled for them to get down, and then the car got in front of them."

"You should have taken the shot before he got near the car!"

"Perhaps you didn't hear me, the car got between me and him. And like she told you, the car is bulletproof."

"And you couldn't get another shot off before it got in the way? What kind of shooter are you?"

"Well, if your such an expert, why didn't you try?" she glared at Tran coldly. "Get out of my garage."

"Don't forget your place Tempest," Ricky growled, glaring into her eyes. "Otherwise you may find you have a lot more problems to deal with, this garage being the least of them," he warned then turned his attention to Jade. "And you, you keep doing what your doing. Keep him and his car out of this," he snapped, then headed out to his car.

Tempest shook her head slightly, and tied her hair back, flipping open the hood of her car and starting to work.

* * *

"So how were races last night?" Dom asked from one of the caravans the team were loading.

Knight shrugged. "Didn't get many races in. and then we had to bail to avoid the cops."

"There was a nice big crash," Karr added. "It was a fine display of the laws of momentum and energy."

"That's enough Karr," Knight told the Trans-am.

Dom gave him a blunt stare. "Crash?"

"Yeah," Knight replied. "The guy with the grey Impreza, flipped it over into oncoming cars. Quite a wreck."

"Heard you got shot at. Find out who yet?"

"I've got my suspicions," Knight answered. "Ricky Tran. He didn't seem pleased to see me still alive. Not sure why. Moves him to the top of my list of suspects."

"Well with any luck, you'll get your reason at Race Wars," Dom told him. "Want Letty to go over Karr, make sure he's in tip top shape?"

"I'm always in 'tip top' shape," Karr informed coldly. "But I would…"

"We don't have time Karr," Knight grinned. "We got things to do."

"Like figuring out why Ricky Tran wants you dead?" Karr asked. Knight quickly slid into the Trans-am's driver's seat and started the car.

"Exactly like that pal," he answered, and backed the car out of the yard onto the street.

* * *

**That Evening**

* * *

"It's quiet. Too quiet," Knight muttered as they drove round. "Anything on the police band?"

"Nothing," Karr replied. "I think we're drawing a blank."

"Hmm," Knight sighed. "Ok, access as many trucking company schedules as you can. Find out if there are any trucks out tonight, and what they're carrying."

"Very well."

Knight frowned as he waited, listening to the deep rumble of the Trans-am's engine as the vehicle rolled along. "Anything?" he asked, glancing in the car's mirrors.

Karr's reply was blunt. "Nothing yet."

"Alright," Knight muttered, glancing in the mirrors again. "I think we're being followed."

"The motor cycles?" Karr asked.

Knight nodded. "How long they been back there?"

"Long enough," Karr replied. "Should we extend an invitation for them to join us?"

"I think that's a good idea," Knight told the Trans-am. "Give me control."

The car switched over to manual cruise as Knight took the wheel, and removed pressure from the gas pedal. The car's speed fell gradually, the bikers gaining ground. When they realised the car was slowing down, the bikers accelerated, surrounding the Trans-am and pulling out Uzi's. Knight grinned. "Visuals?"

"The visors are down, and have a reflective coating. I can try and get an image, but it will be of comparable quality to the shooter."

"Useless you mean?"

"Do you want me to open the windows?" Karr replied with a snarl.

Knight laughed. "I'm just kidding Karr."

His attention was drawn by tapping on the window, one of the bikers motioning for him to pull over. Knight shook his head. "Not a chance," he thought out loud, and then hit the accelerator. The two bikers in front of the Trans-am quickly moved, all six of them opening fire on the car, the bullets bouncing off harmlessly. Knight sighed. "Get the feeling they're a little hostile?"

"They are firing guns at us, feelings don't enter into it," Karr replied coolly. "How do you intend to deal with them?"

"Something like this," Knight replied, increasing the distance between Karr and the bikers, then slammed on the brakes, and spun the car, coming to a stop at 90 degrees. The first two bikes slammed into the side of the Trans-am and flipped over, the riders sliding off the Trans-am's body work. The other bikers barely avoided hitting the Trans-am as the car moved off, the bikers resuming the chase. Knight shook his head as bullets bounced off the car's molecular bonded shell. "You'd think they'd have realised that isn't working by now."

"I can't say I think much of their two wheeled broomsticks either," Karr replied. "We have a problem. Someone has notified the police. However, they seem to be looking solely for us and not our friends with the automatic weapons."

"Great," Knight muttered, slamming the Trans-am into one of the bikes that pulled up alongside, knocking it over easily. "three down, three to go."

"Might I suggest you hit the brakes?" Karr asked. "There's one directly behind us."

"Good thinking," Knight replied, hitting the Trans-am's brakes, the biker slamming into the rear of the car and rolling over the car, dropping off the hood as Knight hit the gas, reversing the car, and spinning it around, belting down the road at speed, then saw the police road block. "Can we turbo?"

"Of course we can," Karr replied. "But with their arrangement, I can't guarantee how we'll land."

"The bikers?"

"They've just broken off. One of the approaching cruisers has broken off in pursuit, but I find it highly unlikely they will succeed in catching them. We however are trapped."

"Terrific," Knight groaned, pulling the Trans-am to a halt in front of the roadblock, and obeying the instructions as a loudspeaker blared out. "Put your hands where I can see them. Now open the door and step out of the vehicle. Put your hands on the roof and don't move," the cop ordered. Knight sighed as he felt handcuffs close around his wrists. It was gonna be a long night.

"Thanks for coming Letty," Knight said as they headed out of the station. "I hate overnighters."

Letty smirked. "The good guy gets busted. You know you won't live that down right?"

"Just like Brian hasn't lived down Chumpy," Knight gave an embarrassed smile. "Gotta admit I wasn't expecting you."

"Your boss figured his involvement would blow your cover. He and Brian worked out a way he could get the money to us, and we'd bail you out. Mia dropped me off. And I just couldn't miss this," she grinned.

Knight shook his head slightly. "Was it worth it?"

"Oh definitely."

"Glad to hear it," Knight offered, showing the slip to the attendant. The guy waved him through to get Karr. "Good to see you pal."

"Are we getting out of here?"

"Straight to the point," Letty laughed sliding into the Trans-am's passenger seat as Knight slipped into the driver's seat.

"I don't like jail."

"And I don't like police impound," Karr retorted, making Letty laugh as the car pulled out. "Now where are we going?"

"DT auto's," Letty told him, having trouble to get the words out through her laughter. "I gotta get back to work so that we can finish up preparations. And then we go."

"Go where?" Karr asked bluntly.

Knight grinned. "Race wars."

**End of Chapter 2****4…**


	25. Chapter 25

_Usual disclaimers apply. Apologies for the long delay between updates, unfortunately I've been having a few problems with my laptop which is delaying progress with the story. That said, enjoy the new chapter :)_

_**Chapter 25:**_

"Oh hell yeah," Knight almost whispered as Race Wars came into view. "That's what I'm talking about."

"The site is an old military base," Karr informed them quietly. "I somehow doubt that the sites former owners would allow such an event to take place here."

"Don't kill the mood Karr," Knight said as they pulled down the dusty desert road into the queue of waiting cars. "This looks like its going to be fun."

Karr's video monitor came to life as the car's forward scanner rippled. "What are they doing?"

"Marking numbers on the cars."

"No."

"No what?" Knight asked.

"No," Karr replied shortly. "I'm saying these people are not writing numbers on me."

"It's the rules Karr, they have to."

"I will not allow it," Karr said coldly, a steely edge to his voice. "It is not happening."

"Why not?"

"How would you like someone painting on your bodywork or windows?"

"Fair point. But, your having it done, end of discussion. Besides, they'll come off after Wars. Got it?"

The car sullenly refused to answer.

Knight sighed. "You can be a real pain in the ass."

"You want pain, get out and I'll run you over," Karr said coldly.

Knight grinned, "Maybe later," he told the AI as he pulled up to the gate. "How's it going bro?"

"Long slow day," the security guy told him as he marked Karr's rear pillion. "Welcome to Race Wars."

"Thanks bro," Knight replied, and pulled the black and silver Trans-am into the base. "Man look at this place," he breathed as he took in the spectacle, the cars, the tents, caravans and mobile homes belonging to the different racers and teams, the girls in skimpy clothing, one of them stripping off her pants to show her thong as she danced under hoses held up by a couple of guys, appreciative males around her hollering.

Knight grinned, pulling the black and silver Trans-am over next to a car transporter and mobile homes marked with Tempest's business logo. Tempest's car was nowhere to be seen, nor was Jade's, only the silver Aston Martin. "Karr, know where she is?"

"Her car is currently queuing up to race," the vehicle replied.

"Thanks Karr."

The car didn't reply as he got out and nodded towards the DB9's owner. "Hey man."

"You made it," Craig replied. "She's racing currently. Against one of your friends if I'm not mistaken."

"I'll stay neutral in that regard."

The other man grinned. "Wise man."

"Up for a run?"

"You still haven't proved you're worthy of our girl Jade."

Knight's smile broadened. "Time to do so," he replied, sliding back into the Trans-am, Craig clambering back into his Aston Martin, as Knight leaned out of Karr's window. "See you at the finish line."

"I'll be waiting. Loser gets the first round in."

Knight just grinned in response, and gunned the Trans-am's engine.

* * *

After queuing for twenty minutes, Knight and Craig got to the front of the line of cars, watching as the cars in front of them took off, the orange Charger easily beating the MR-2 it was pitted against. Knight noticed a slight frown pass over Craig's features, quickly replaced by concentration as they pulled up to the start line, Craig glancing over from the silver Aston Martin at Knight in the black and silver Trans-am. Karr's forward scanner rippled dangerously, Knight feeling the car's desire to get underway. The engines of both cars revved up, trying to outdo each other. The starter called the go, and the two cars took off with a squeal of tyres, pacing each other as they tore down the track, neither car gaining an edge as their drivers shifted through gears. About half way along the track, the Aston Martin surged forward as Craig hit his nitrous. Knight quickly hit the turbo boost and got slammed back into his seat as the Trans-am surged with acceleration, blasting past the Aston Martin and crossing the finish line. Knight thumped the dashboard gently. "Great work pal."

"Like there was any doubt," Karr replied.

Knight laughed. "I think that's our little secret. Lets get our winnings and check in with the Toretto's," he told the car, spinning it round and pulling over next to Craig's Aston Martin, grinning. "Am I worthy?"

"I guess so," Craig grinned. "Here's your winnings."

"Keep em," Knight replied. "First round is still on you."

"You are one weird guy," Craig told him.

Knight grinned. "Keeps things interesting. I'd better check in with the team, I'll catch you guys later."

The Trans-am pulled away, weaving around parked cars and trailers.

* * *

Knight pulled the Trans-am over to where Team Toretto had set up operations and climbed out. Dom glanced up from under the hood of his RX-7. "You're late. You were supposed to be here half an hour ago."

"I was," Knight admitted. "I just got into a race before I showed."

"With who?"

"Craig Cowell."

"You win?"

"What do you think?"

"You'd better have. Wish you'd told me first, I woulda taken bets against you."

Knight grinned before their attention was drawn by a black Honda 2000 pulling up next to the Toretto camp, Ricky Tran and his cousin Lance getting out. "Toretto!"

"What you want Tran?"

"My brother didn't get to race you at the last Wars," Ricky told him. "But I'm gonna."

"Hope you got more than that Honda to run," Dom replied, glaring at the Asian. Ricky sneered back at him coldly. "I got something for your ass, don't worry."

* * *

Letty glanced over the top of her glasses at the car across from hers, wondering who she was racing. The car was an Eclipse Spyder in dark blue, with silver stars decorating the bodywork and a moon on the hood. She smiled to herself as she saw the car's driver, "well now this is a surprise. The girl that can't race, racing."

"I'll show you who can't race," Cheer replied confidently.

Letty laughed. "Not a chance, be ready to eat my dust and kiss my ass."

"Not gonna happen," Cheer retorted.

Letty sneered at her. "Either way, its gonna be two large," she told the other girl, giving her the finger while holding up a roll of cash. Cheer held up cash of her own as the two cars pulled up to the line, Letty shoving her Ray-Bans up the ridge of her nose with a disinterested look on her face. The go was called, and the cars got underway, tearing away with a screech of tyres and a cloud of dust. They stayed level as their drivers worked up through the gears. The Spyder got ahead as Cheer hit her nitrous oxide, whooping as she took the lead. Letty shook her head slightly, and hit her nitrous, pulling the Silvia level, laughing at the look of the distaste on Cheer's face as she did and said to her self with a sing song voice, "Seeeee yaaaa," and hit her second shot of NOS, the Silvia streaking away in a blur of purple and crossing the finish line a car length ahead of Cheer, making a noise of pure pleasure as she pulled the car to the side, Cheer pulling alongside a few moments later.

Letty got out of the car and headed over. "I win, where's my money?"

"Here," Cheer told her with distaste in her voice, handing over the cash. "Where's your man, maybe he'd like to comfort me after my loss?"

Letty snapped and hauled off, knocking Cheer to the ground with a punch and diving at her, slugging away as Cheer tried to scratch her face off. The fight was abruptly broken off and another started as Tempest intervened, hauling Letty off Cheer and punching her. Letty wasn't about to let that go, and hauled off with an elbow to the face. "You're a much better fight."

"Save your breath, your gonna need it _puta_," Tempest told her and lunged, an outstretched arm across the torso knocking Letty off her feet, then tried to yank her to her feet by her hair, receiving an elbow to the stomach for the trouble, pushing the following knee to the side and slamming her elbow into Letty's jaw, then decked one of the security team as they tried to stop the fight, before knocking Letty to the ground, going down as well, the two rolling over in the dust, punching each other ferociously, until a spray of cold water from a hose forced them to separate finally, being pulled away from each other by security, both struggling like wild cats to get at each other.

* * *

Knight situated himself to watch Dom race Ricky Tran, parking Karr to one side of the former runway that was now used as a race strip. He watched the race before hand, an orange Dodge Charger with a large blower raised above the hood, its license plate reading "Tommo-2", against a white Honda Accord, with gold tinted windows, black hood, red lightning patterns painted on the headlights and front wheel arches, and the rear of the car painted in matching red, a samurai warrior adorning the car's bodywork. The two cars took off as the go was called, the Charger easily taking the lead, its engine roaring. The Accord's driver hit NOS, but it was only enough to bring it level with the Charger. And then only briefly, the Charger pulling away and blazing across the line victoriously. Knight turned his attention back to the start of the track, watching Dom's RX-7 pull up to the line. Next to it, Ricky Tran pulled up in a Honda NSX, bearing the same design as the Honda 2000 he'd driven earlier. Knight raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised, wishing he could see a bit more from where he was sat.

Dom glanced over at Ricky. "Four large?"

"Four large," Tran confirmed, holding up a stack of cash. Dom held up a roll of bills, then turned his attention back to the race track, last minute checks making sure the RX-7 was ready to run, lifting the passenger seat hatch and turning the valve for the nitrous oxide, and turning up the stereo, gunning the Mazda's engine. Alongside, Tran was revving up the NSX's engine, waiting patiently. The co-ordinator called the go, and the two cars were off, tyres howling as they struggled for purchase on the track. The NSX took the lead after a few seconds, forcing Dom to drop a gear to keep up. As the engine started to whine, he shifted back up, and hit NOS, taking the lead. Tran hit his own NOS, both cars streaking along the track, noses level. Just before they reached the line, Dom hit his second shot of NOS, boosting the car into the lead by a nose as they crossed the finish line, a big grin spreading across his face as he looked back at Ricky Tran, seeing the Asian's features contorted into a grimace of annoyance.

* * *

Craig glanced over to see who was driving the Charger he was competing against, the same one that had raced before Ricky. He guessed from the license plate that the guy answered to Tommo. "How much?"

"Two large," the Charger's driver, a large bulky guy replied, holding up a sheath of notes, not even looking at Craig. Craig raised his own stash –"You're on."

"And you'll lose," the driver snorted. Can't believe you race that European piece of shit."

"At least it can take a corner."

"In a straight line race, who the hell cares?"

The race started, the Charger's front wheels lifting off the road as the car pulled away. Craig gunned the Aston Martin to keep up, hitting his first shot of NOS to pull level with the Charger now on all four wheels. Both cars roared along, keeping pace, until they approached the finish line. The Charger started to pull ahead, its engine roaring furiously as it edged over slightly into a blocking position. Craig frowned, he couldn't have this, and did the same, moved over slightly and hit the DB9's second shot of NOS, taking the sleek Aston around the muscle car, leading by a narrow margin. The car rocked slightly as the Charger connected, Craig gripping the wheel to keep the car straight as the cars crossed the line. He felt fury over taking him as he spun the car to the side of the road, and climbed out. The Charger's driver had just climbed out of his vehicle before Cowell slugged him. The larger man roared with anger, and charged at him, Craig instantly charging at the same instant. As the two collided, Craig punched Tommo's face hard, with his right hand, then his left. Tommo snarled, seemingly ignoring the blows, and flung in punches of his own, Craig weaving in and out of them, then snapped a punch into his foe's midsection, and kicked his legs from under him. Tommo punched Craig's knee, forcing it back, bringing Craig down to the same level, locked in a grapple, each struggling to hit the other with all the force they could muster as they fought their way to their feet. Tommo retaliated with three hard rights to Craig's face. Craig shrugged them off, and smashed Tommo in the face with his elbow, then shoved him back, breaking the grapple and then spin kicked his chest. Tommo staggered, still reeling from the elbow to his face, feinted left, then hit a huge right uppercut that lifted Craig off his feet. Craig hit the floor, rolling to one side to avoid a kick, then pushed off the floor into a jump kick. Tommo sidestepped quickly and wrapped an arm round Craig's neck in a sleeper hold. Craig viciously drove his elbow back into the side of Tommo's head, forcing him to loosen his grip, then tried to flip him. The size advantage lay with Tommo, shoving Craig to the ground, and rolled to his feet, then launched himself at his foe, tumbling, before rolling apart. As he got back to his feet, still dazed, Tommo locked him in a bear hug, hauling him off the ground. Craig swore, and started flinging elbows backwards into Tommo's head. While Tommo didn't release him, it drove him back. Craig struggled to get free, still slamming elbows back, then changed tactics, and drove his fingers behind him into Tommo's eyes, grasping his foe's head in his hands to increase the pressure. As Tommo let go, Craig whirled round, striking with a hard right fist, then his left elbow, and punched his foe's stomach, and flipped him, locking onto his arm tightly, trying to dislocate the arm. He heard Tommo grunt in pain and frustration, then kicked Craig from where he lay, grabbing him and punching his face furiously. Craig reeled from the impacts, and then blocked the next punch before it landed, and head butted the bigger man twice, breaking his nose before security pulled them apart, Craig yelling furiously at Tommo as Tempest tried to calm him down, Jade running over. "What was all that about?"

"Asshole tried to run me off the road to win a race," Craig replied. "I'm gonna kill him," trying to get away from the security guard holding him, without success until Tommo had got in his car and gotten out of there.

Frowning, Tempest grabbed his shoulder. "Cool it man ok? Keep your cool, we need that. Besides, killing someone in plain sight of over a dozen witnesses, not so bright."

"You should chill out," Jade offered quietly. "Go to the trailer, get a beer and take a break from it ok?"

"Listen to her, she's talking sense," Tempest replied, giving him a meaningful look.

Craig got the unspoken message. "Maybe your right. If I'm needed, I'll be back at the camp," and headed for the Aston Martin, looking deeply thoughtful.

Tempest and Jade watched him go. "That's the second fight from our team today," Tempest muttered darkly.

Jade laughed. "I'm guessing the other was you?"

Tempest glared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Mean wherever you go, trouble follows," Jade laughed.

Tempest laughed. "Can't argue that. And while it was me beating on Toretto's trophy, Cheer started it."

"Doesn't sound like Cheer," Jade asked. "What you doing now?"

Tempest nodded in the direction of a group of a bunch of guys. "About to get in a lot more trouble if you know what I mean," she replied with a wink. "Couple of boys want to put the Canadian constitution to the test. Likely all lightweights," she smirked. Jade blanched slightly, and Tempest laughed. "How bout you?"

"I was hoping to find a tag partner," she answered. "Couple of guys think their all that, want to do a relay race kind of thing. Maybe I'll ask Knight."

"Good luck," Temp wished her, then pulled her in close. "Keep a close eye on him," she cautioned, the other woman's face dropping the smile, a tight nod of the head before Tempest headed over to her admirers.

Jade shook her head slightly and headed over to where Knight was perched on Karr's hood. "Run a race with me?"

"You don't need me riding shotgun," he grinned.

Jade raised an eyebrow. "I know. I meant I need a second driver. Couple of guys think their all that, I want to separate them from such cash. They offered me a relay race type thing."

"Down and back, tag team style?" Knight asked. "I'm game."

"Great," Jade grinned. "Let's do this," and sprinted off towards her Eclipse.

Knight climbed into Karr's driver seat. "You up for a run?"

"Definitely," Karr replied, starting his engine in anticipation.

Knight grinned. "Shoulda known I didn't need to ask," he said, taking the Trans-am's wheel, and heading the car after Jade.

* * *

Knight pulled the Trans-am over next to Jade's Mustang, and checked out their competition. One of the car's was an RX-7 with flames on the sides, a black dragon winding through them, twisted into the shape of a letter 'E' whilst the other car was a Nissan, with the same black dragon on the side, this time twisting through lightning bolts, both cars bearing a black tulip on the hood. He didn't comment, instead getting out of the car and joining Jade. "How much?"

"Two G's each," the guy leaning against the RX-7 answered.

Knight shrugged. "I'm in."

Jade grinned. "Good," and held up her cash. The other two drivers showed the colour of their money, and they organised the race. Jade was up first against the Nissan, with Karr and the RX-7 sat by the line, waiting for their partner to return. A blond girl in a race co-ordinator's outfit called the go, and the two cars took off. Knight frowned slightly as the Nissan quickly left the Mustang behind, wondering what was going through Jade's head.

Jade swore to herself as the Mustang faltered off the line, realising she'd shifted gear too soon. She wouldn't make that mistake again she told herself as she gave everything the Mustang had, shifting up through gears, desperately trying to catch the Nissan. a few seconds after getting to sixth gear, she hit her first shot of nitrous, blasting the Mustang past the Nissan, reaching the barrel a good 3 metres clear of the Nissan, slamming on the brakes and wrenching the wheel as she dropped the gears, the back end fishtailing as she went around the barrel and accelerated away as the Nissan rounded the barrel. She tried to concentrate on what she doing, shifting up through the gears quickly, knowing the Nissan was doing the same, then cursed as the other car rocketed past her, its driver obviously using the car's nitrous. She hit her second shot, trying to keep up, but as she caught up, the Nissan hit its second shot and roared away, leaving the Mustang in its dust. Jade swore, and dropped down a gear, sliding into the Nissan's slipstream in an effort to keep up, but it didn't work, the other car was just too fast, crossing the line way ahead of the Mustang, the RX-7 leaping away quickly.

Knight frowned to himself, revving the Trans-am's engine, ready to go, muttering. "Come on, come on," to himself. The Mustang tore over the line, and the Trans-am was away with a squeal of tyres, in hot pursuit of the RX-7.

Jade thumped the dashboard of the Mustang as she spun it around, and pulled over. "I hope you can pull this off boy."

"You seem awfully relaxed," Karr commented as the black and silver Trans-am raced along. "May I remind you that we're losing currently? And that our competition is just going around the barrel?"

"Not for long pal, not for long," Knight grinned, and moved the Trans-am into the path of the oncoming RX-7.

Karr protested slightly. "May I remind you that my programming now prevents me from allowing you to jeopardise your life, or the life of other humans?"

"Just relax."

"Kitt would not allow this."

"You're not Kitt," Knight replied. "You ready for this?"

"Aren't I always?" Karr replied huffily.

Knight grinned. "Get me a close up on the driver?"

Karr's monitor brought up the image just as the driver realised that the Trans-am was in his way, his face alarmed briefly, then tightened with concentration. Knight settled himself, and waited patiently as the two cars raced towards each other head on. His right hand dropped away from the wheel, as a collision seemed inevitable, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. The Rx-7 seemed to waver slightly, then the front wheels turned. Knight grinned and hit the turbo boost, slammed into his seat as the black and silver Trans-am leapt into the air, clearing the other car. Karr's monitor showed the RX-7's driver twisting in his seat, no longer concentrating, taken aback by what just happened, the RX-7 spinning out and stalling. Knight grinned and braced himself as the Trans-am landed, spinning it around the barrels quickly and blazing back down the strip. The RX-7 had restarted and got back on the road, and was heading towards the finish, but not soon, enough, the black and silver Trans-am roaring up behind it, the twin gold light bars rippling malevolently on the car's nose as it slipped around the side of the RX-7 and came up alongside, the Trans-am's nose just inches ahead as the cars crossed the line and pulled over to the side to collect winnings.

The RX-7's driver was not happy. "How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Make your car jump like that, how'd you do it?"

"Musta hit a bump in the road," Knight replied nonchalantly. "Kinda impressive huh?"

The 7's driver frowned, "You gotta be kidding."

"Hey, come on, how could I make it do that deliberately?" Knight grinned.

The RX-7's driver and the Nissan's driver reluctantly handed over their money, muttering as they walked back to their cars and glancing back over their shoulders. Knight ignored them as Jade kissed him."We won."

"Yes we did," Knight grinned. "Now I'm thirsty. Let's find something to drink."

* * *

**Night Time**

**

* * *

**

Night time was no different to day time at Race Wars. There were still races going on, as well as wild partying. Knight felt slightly uncomfortable, he'd never been big on the partying thing. Sure he enjoyed it when he was out clubbing with his friends when he'd still been home in England, but there was always that feeling of not fitting in. That was why he liked LA. Anywhere else, he felt like he didn't belong, it was why he'd taken up Michael's offer in Miami. LA was different, he felt like he did belong there, if only because nobody belongs in LA. His thoughts were brought back to earth when the Corona in his hand disappeared.

"Dance with me."

"I was drinking that."

"You've been sat for almost ten minutes without moving," Jade told him. "Brian started taking bets on how long you'd be sat there before you moved."

"He hung around Tej for too long," Knight shrugged, reaching for the Corona. Jade jerked it away, a sly smile on her face. Knight got up from where he was perched, stepping towards her, trying for it again as she stepped back. "You'd better give me that back," he growled at her.

She just laughed in response. "Or what?" she teased, moving away as he lunged for it again.

"Your pushing it girl."

Jade stuck her tongue out at him, quickly moving the bottle as he made a move, then squealed as he grabbed her instead, picking her up over his shoulder. "Put me down!"

Knight gave her backside a gentle smack. "Give me the beer back?"

"You want it back?"

"Yeah."

"Fine," Jade replied in a 'be careful what you wish for' kind of voice, twisting around slightly, and pouring the bottle over his head, prompting laughter from the Toretto team.

Knight tried to keep an annoyed look on his face, finding it a struggle. He had to admit it had been funny. "Well, now I'm just gonna have to take a shower aren't I?"

Jade's eyes widened as she realised what he meant and started thumping his back. "Don't you dare! Put me down now!"

Team Toretto got up from the table they were sat around as Knight yelled for Brian, wondering what he was up to, following him as he walked over to the tent where the girl had been dancing in a thong and t-shirt, under a shower when they'd arrived. "Brian get that hose will you?"

"Don't you dare Brian!" Jade yelled. "Ian put me down now!"

"Can't do that. Someone drenched me in Corona. Now that's bad enough, but when you consider its also wasting perfectly good beer…"

"I'm sorry," she offered, not sounding at all sorry, "please, put me down."

"Sure," Knight said, grabbing the second hose as Brian turned them both on. "Whatever you say," he grinned, setting her on her feet, straight under the spray from the hose. She gasped in shock and then grabbed for the hose, trying to turn it on him, or directing spray at Brian with the second hose, then ran and turned them off.

"Now I gotta go get dry and change, thanks a lot. Bastard," she said, although her tone suggested she wasn't as annoyed as she made out she was, and heading off towards the motor home she shared with Tempest and Cheer.

Knight yelled after her. "Hey, I'm sorry, it was just a bit of fun."

"Well, it wasn't fun," she shouted back, without so much as turning round.

* * *

Craig kept to the shadows as he waited outside the trailer for the Charger's owner to come out. He wasn't waiting long as the car's driver came out and headed for the Charger. Craig motioned quietly to his brother. The other Cowell pulled his F-40 forward, rolling down the window. "Hey, you up for a night time race?"

"Piss off pa..." Tommo didn't get chance to finish his answer as Craig leapt forward, slamming Tommo's head into the car's hood. Tommo grunted and swung around with a punch, Craig blocking skilfully, his black belt in karate coming to good use as he retaliated with a fast strike to the guy's face, knocking him off balance. Craig took the opening and slammed his forearm into the guy's throat. Tommo crumpled to the ground choking as Craig drew breath and glanced down unconcernedly, then quickly patted the other down, finally finding his wallet. He pulled it out of Tommo's jacket, opened it and extracted two grand in twenty dollar bills, before throwing the guys wallet on top of him and holding up the bills.

"That's the two grand you owe me from earlier."

He looked at his brother and climbed into the passenger seat of the Ferrari. "Let's go."

Brian lined up his Skyline alongside Kat's, wondering how he'd been talked into this. During the course of the night, the group had been laughing and joking, and the conversation had gotten around to whether or not Brian's Skyline could beat Kat's. One thing had lead to another, and now they were facing off. Brian wished he'd pointed out that a lot depended on the driver too, and one thing he knew was that Kat was a better driver, if only coz she was far crazier than he was. He grinned boyishly to himself at that, he'd pulled some crazy stuff in his time, jumping off a Supra to pull Vince off a truck, or jumping his Skyline over an automatic bridge, taking it over the top of the Supra he was racing against, but even that didn't compare to leaping a car off a ramp and onto the back of a private yacht. As Rome would put it, that was "crazy, real dukes of hazzard shit," and he had to admit it was. He knew from experience that Kat was just as crazy, running her Skyline as fast as she could, just to see how fast it could actually go, something that had scared the hell out of Leon. He'd tried it once and chickened out. He grinned and revved the engine of his Skyline, suspecting he was gonna have to come close to finding out if he was gonna stick a chance against Kat. The team was hollering as the two Skylines pulled up to the racing line, neon illuminating the ground beneath them as the starter called the go. Both exhausts flamed as the cars pulled away, dead level, their drivers quickly slamming through the gears. Brian frowned as he hit sixth gear, and punched both his NOS buttons at once. The silver Skyline shot forward as nitrous surged into its engine, Kat slipping her Skyline behind his, his slipstream pulling her car along for a few seconds, before she punched both NOS buttons, and whipped past him with a cheeky wave, the black, tiger bearing Skyline roaring past and over the line. Brian laughed as he crossed the line and spun the Skyline around, knowing he was going to get a ribbing from the rest of the team.

**End of Chapter 2****5…**


	26. Chapter 26: Goin' to Extemes

Usual disclaimers apply. Still having a few problems with my laptop which is holding things up. Regardless of that, the next one is ready. Thanks again to Tempest for use of her characters, and for fixing my mistakes during the beta reading. Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

_**Chapter 26: Wilder than your wildest dreams, when you're going to extremes, it takes Adrenaline**_

"Letty, can I ask you a favour?" Karr asked, rolling up behind her.

Letty crouched down next to the sleek, black and silver Trans-am. "What is it Karr?"

"I need a driver. Mine is otherwise engaged, and there's a competition that intrigues me."

"Sounds interesting, what is it?"

"They have a tight course marked out with traffic cones. Fastest time through the course wins. Currently, the average speed to take the course is sixty five miles per hour. The racer that set the quickest time managed to average seventy three."

"And you want to see how fast I can do it?"

"Not exactly. I don't need you to drive, I just need someone to represent me. A talking car that drives itself might arouse suspicions."

"Sure you can win?"

"I can out perform these race rockets and whatever primitive machine he uses with one wheel tied behind my axle."

"How fast do you think you can do the course?"

"I believe I can take the course at a hundred."

"Is your owner ok with me borrowing you?"

"I do not have an owner. I have a partner, a friend."

"Ok, but is he happy for me to borrow you for a contest?"

"I have a will of my own, and make my own decisions. Knight encourages it, despite the wishes of our bosses."

"Good enough for me. Alright then, let's do it," Letty replied. The Trans-am's driver door swung open in response, closing shut behind her.

* * *

Dom pulled his RX-7 up to the line eyeing the Mustang next to him with distaste, deciding that there were downsides to being the king of the streets, like being challenged by spoilt rich kids who had the mistaken belief they could drive. So far, not one of them had impressed him. He cranked up the volume on the car's stereo, the speakers pounding out the music as the organiser called the go. Both cars took off, Dominic taking the lead easily. He wasn't even aware of the other car, just enjoying the feeling of freedom he got from racing. His peripheral vision caught a flash of blue from the Mustang's paintjob as it drew level, and calmly popped and punched his NOS button. From Dom's perspective, the desert seemed to streak around the RX-7 as it rocketed forward, blasting across the line a good two lengths ahead of the Mustang. Dom shook his head slightly, not even slightly impressed.

* * *

Letty looked doubtfully over the course that had been laid out. "A hundred?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"My simulations show that it's possible. My calculations confirm it."

"Right. Simulations. Calculations," the Latina sighed. "How much is the buy in?"

"Three thousand."

Letty coughed slightly. "Do you win the pot at the end if you win?"

"Affirmative."

"You promise not to lose my money?"

"Wouldn't that take the fun out of it?"

"That isn't very comforting," Letty muttered. "Alright, let's do this."

Karr watched as she spoke with the competition organisers, re-running the calculations idly in the back of his CPU core. It would be a rough ride, but it was definitely possible. He quit the calculations as Letty returned and slid into the driver's seat. "Alright, we're up next."

"Strap in tightly and hold on," Karr advised. "It's going to be a rough ride."

"How rough?"

"Have you ever played pinball?"

Letty didn't have chance to answer before the car started up and moved forward to the start line, the powerful engine revving slightly as it waited for the go.

* * *

"Isn't that your car?" Jade asked as they came out of her trailer.

Knight followed the direction she pointed in and groaned inwardly. "Yeah it is," he answered, watching as the black and silver Trans-am lunged forward.

Jade frowned. "So who the hell is driving it?"

Knight glanced across at the Toretto enclave and breathed a sigh of relief. Apart from Dom and Letty, the whole team was assembled. Dom's car was the only one missing, and he knew Dom didn't like anyone riding with him while he was racing. "Letty I think."

"Didn't know she could drive like that," Jade commented, watching as the Trans-am slalomed through the tightly marked out bends.

Knight watched as the Trans-am accelerated towards the ramp leading up to the long line of old cars. "I'm not sure she is."

* * *

Letty held on for dear life as the Trans-am rocketed through the course, twisting through turns and bends, the back end sliding out on the harsher turns, coming within millimetres of the cones. Letty grinned as the car accelerated down the narrow straight, through the cross section. The steering wheel spun to the left sharply, the Trans-am sliding into the turn, the rear tyres squealing as the car spun through the curve, Letty clinging to the hand holds to keep from being thrown across the car, and laughing like a maniac. Karr straightened up and hit the gas, powering out of the turn and accelerating sharply, winding quickly through the S-bends, towards the 90 degree turn. Letty's eyes widened as she realised that the turn was perilously close to a hanger wall. "uhhh... Karr? You realise we're heading towards a brick wall at..." she glanced at the speedo, showing one hundred and twenty and still climbing. "at over a hundred and twenty?"

"I know."

"Shouldn't we slow down to make the turn?"

"Not yet."

Letty glanced up as wall came ever closer. "Then when?"

"Now."

The Trans-am's brakes slammed down hard, the wheel turning sharply to the left. For what seemed like the longest moment of Letty's life the car continued to barrel forward, straight towards the wall before finally turning. Letty held her breath as the AI increased the power, fighting momentum and dragging the car out of the turn millimetres before hitting the wall, clouds of dust and sand obscuring the car as it pulled out of the turn and headed for the finish line. Letty started laughing madly at the rush of adrenaline as the car crossed the line and began doing donuts, the dashboard lighting going crazy as the individual systems tried to determine what was taking place. The AI finally brought the car to a halt, the engine whining slightly as it powered down to an idle state, throbbing gently. "I believe we won."

"I don't think anyone else could beat that time," Letty agreed. "Or the finish. Do I even want to know how close we came to that wall?"

"No."

Letty grinned. "I won't ask then. Let's go collect your winnings."

The Trans-am's scanners rippled. "Unfortunately, I will be unable to do so currently. I am receiving a transmission from home."

* * *

Knight was watching Jade race when his watch beeped insistently at him, Karr attempting to raise him over the comm. link. He half turned to hide the motion as he clicked the watch. "What is it Karr?"

"_Bonnie's transmitted the cleared up image I obtained of our shooter. It's Tempest._"

"Where is she now?"

"_She's leaving along with Ricky Tran, his cousin Lance,_ _and the two Cowell's in two cars._"

"Sounds like they're our hijackers. Keep a lock on them and come and get me pal."

He straightened up and turned as white Mustang pulled up next to him, Jade leaning out of the window. "What's up?"

Knight gave her an apologetic look. "I have to leave for a little while."

"What is it?"

"Something's come up. Work. I have to go."

"What? Why?"

"Jade, the people I'm after are the bad guys. They aren't all bad, the hijacking aside. But some of them are really bad guys, they're gonna hurt someone. I have to make sure they can't."

He squeezed her hand as the Trans-am pulled up behind him. "I'll see you later."

Jade watched as he pulled open the car's door, slid into the seat, and gunned the engine, the Trans-am sliding away gracefully. Jade watched the car slow down, by the Toretto camp, Letty climbing out, and Brian sliding in before the car pulled away rapidly. She quickly pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "Knight knows. He's trying to catch up with you."

She listened intently for a moment to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Alright, I'll meet you there."

* * *

"Alright," Tran told the group as they yanked the covers off the Honda Civics. "We're without Jade on this one. Craig, take the left side of the truck, so that Dan can cover the driver. Tempest, come up on the right side, but hang back a bit. We need to keep him steady so Lance can get on board."

"Right," Dan replied.

Tempest just gave him a cool look and a 'whatever' shrug and turned her head to look over at Craig. "Seeing as you have nothing better to do, keep your eyes on the police scanner."

Craig nodded as they headed for their cars, Tempest glancing back at Craig, pointing to her eyes and then at him with two fingers. Craig returned the gesture with a cheeky wink as he slid into his Civic and started the engine, following the other two cars out onto the road.

* * *

"You still got them on your scanner?" Knight asked as he raced the Trans-am down a stretch of desert road.

Karr's steely voice responded with annoyance. "Negative. I've lost them."

"Shit," Knight complained, sitting in silence for a moment. "Monitor your CB band for any transmissions from truckers. See if you can hook into company computers, get dispatch information, GPS location, cargo manifests, anything you can find. I want to know what's being shipped, and routes for the trucks. Maybe then we carry narrow it down, identify which truck is gonna be hit."

"And if we can't?" Brian asked.

Knight frowned. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

* * *

The three Civics moved up on the truck rapidly, fanning out around it as Craig gave the all clear. Ricky cut his around in front of the truck, ignoring the blaring of the horn, Lance opening the sunroof and pulling on a helmet as Craig brought his Civic up on the trucks left hand side, Dan pulling on her helmet, opening the sunroof, and standing up, levelling an Uzi at the truck driver and motioning for him to drive straight and not try anything. Lance levelled a harpoon at the passenger window and fired, then yanked the window out, cut the cord and swapped the launcher for another, firing the second harpoon into the passenger seat. As Lance got aboard the truck, Craig pulled his Civic back to the rear of the truck, Tempest moving away from it slightly as Lance took control. Meanwhile, Craig glanced in his rear view mirror. "Shit!" then picked up his walkie-talkie. "We got company. What the hell is he doing here?"

"_Who?_"

"Knight," Craig answered grimly as the Trans-am gained on them.

Ricky's voice came back over the walkie-talkie. "_Tempest, take care of him.._"

"_Got it._"

"Got it," Craig said, moving to the left, making room as Tempest dropped back slightly, before slamming the Civic to the right and hitting the brakes, spinning the car around underneath the truck, with only a couple of inches to spare, before gunning the accelerator as she cleared the truck and headed straight at the Trans-am.

Knight raised an eyebrow. "You see what I see?"

"She appears to be coming straight for us. I was most impressed with her little truck manoeuvre."

"It was pretty tight," Brian said. "Not sure even Let can drive like that."

"See how she handles this," Knight muttered, pressing harder on the gas, the two cars racing at each other head on. "Karr."

"Activating Turbo Boost."

With a roar, the Trans-am took off, soaring over the Honda Civic and carrying on towards the truck at speed. "Can you stop the truck?"

"No."

Knight almost laughed at the car's blunt attitude. "Alright, she's all yours, keep her steady for me," he said, opening the car's auto-roof, and shutting off the passive laser restraint system, pulling the Trans-am close in to the rear of the truck.

"What are you doing?" Brian asked, Karr simultaneously asking "You're going to do something stupid aren't you?"

"You can't stop the truck. The only option is for someone to get onboard."

"You realise that if you make any mistake, I will be unable to protect you. There is a good chance that this endeavour will result in your de-activation."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

As he stood up, the car jolted, forcing him to grab the t-bar across the roof, and glanced over, to see Craig ramming into Karr with the Civic, having come around the truck. "Karr!"

"I am aware of him."

"Yeah, but I wasn't. Why didn't you warn me?"

"I was trying to compensate."

"Next time, just tell me," Knight complained, dropping back into the seat, the auto roof closing behind him, the Trans-am jolting again as the cars collided again, Karr's steely voice complaining,

"how unpleasant."

"Think about how other cars would feel. They dent."

The car jolted again as the Civic collided again before dropping back slightly, the younger Cowell leaning out and spraying the rear of the Trans-am with Uzi fire.

"You'd think they'd have learnt that bullets don't work on me by now."

"You'd think," Knight replied, as bullets bounced harmlessly off Karr's rear end. The bullet fire ceased, and the car was jolted again. "Apparently, they've given up on that plan."

"Surely you don't expect me to just let him keep ramming me?"

"Not for much longer pal," Knight replied tersely, getting more fed up with each jolt of the car. "Ok, enough's enough. Tell me when he's about to ram us again."

The Trans-am was rocked by two more collisions before Karr spoke. "Now."

Knight slammed on the brakes, the tyres shrieking as the car suddenly slowed drastically. Before Craig could react, the Civic was under the truck, and grinding against its rear wheels. Craig desperately gunned the engine, trying to get the Civic clear, as sparks flew from the tortured metal, the trucks tyres whining, before they got purchase, and rolled over the Civic, crumpling the car beneath them, broken metal and glass scattering across the road, steam venting from the wreck. Knight slammed on Karr's brakes to avoid hitting the wreck, cursing their rotten luck. "Are they alright?"

"I'm detecting no life signs from the wreck. However Tempest is approaching rapidly."

"Alright, let's go deal with her then shall we?" Knight asked, gunning the engine and spinning the Trans-am round, heading straight back at Tempest. She didn't move the Civic out of the way, bearing down on the sleek black and silver car head on. Knight's left eye narrowed slightly, an unconscious movement accompanied by a subtle turn of his head. "She's not gonna turn," he exclaimed, but the realisation was too late, Tempest apparently realising the same thing as her wheels suddenly turned too late, the cars colliding, the Civic's front end crumpling, the front wheel rolling up the Trans-am's front end, over the windshield, the Civic flipping and rolling down the road, and off the verge at the side of the road, landing on its roof, covered in dust and sand as Knight spun the Trans-am round, thanking his lucky stars for Karr's impenetrable molecular bonded shell, pulling the car to a stop next to the damaged Civic. "Call for an ambulance," he instructed, leaping out, pulling a moaning but conscious Tempest, spitting blood, from the car uncomfortably aware that he might be doing more harm than good. "Where are they going?"

She gave him a glazed look, before her eyes rolled back into her head and she passed out.

* * *

"You're awake."

Tempest rubbed her head and looked at him and Brian. "Where am I?"

"Hospital," Brian supplied. "You were pretty banged up."

"That would be because someone aimed their Trans-am at me," she retorted glaring at Knight.

He shrugged in response. "Part of the job, stopping crooks."

"So you really are a cop?" she asked, then nodding at Brian. "Like he used to be?"

"No, and your lucky I'm not after you tried to put a bullet in my head."

"How did you…?"

"Know it was you? Karr's pretty well equipped, and got a snap of you, although we couldn't recognise you from it till about five hours ago, when it had been cleaned up. As you probably guessed, the car's bullet-proof. Actually, it's almost completely impervious to damage. Or at least, from most other cars. From what I've been told, it takes a lot to even dent it."

"So what are you if not a cop?"

"I work for," he hesitated for a fraction of a second. "a special branch of the FBI. LAPD needed some help with the case, and I got it handed to me because of my background and my friendship with Brian."

"So, you're here for what, make a deal?"

"I want to know where Tran is. LAPD SWAT raided his house, his holdings, your garage, nothing."

"I'm telling you nothing. He's got contacts, I'm not putting my neck on the line. Think I'm the only hired gun he has in pocket?"

"You're afraid of him?"

"Pft, no," Tempest snorted. "I just don't intend to spend the rest of my life waiting for the knife or bullet that ends it. Kiss my ass."

"So you go to jail," Knight shrugged. "No more freedom. No more racing. You know that one of the truck drivers you hijacked died? You'll be liable for it. You think Tran and his cousin are gonna stick around knowing I'm on to them? They'll leave you to take the rap for it. So, you can tell me what I want to know, or is kiss my ass your final answer?"

"You've watched Triple X too many times," Tempest replied. "What do I get out of this?"

Knight frowned. "I'll drop the attempted murder charge. If you agree to testify against him, I can arrange for you to get immunity from prosecution, you'll be free."

"What, no protection while I'm stuck here?"

Knight pulled out his cell phone. "Mike, I need some help. I've got a witness that needs protecting."

Tempest could hear the voice over the tinny sounding microphone, then Knight spoke again. "Ok, thanks man. We'll get a drink when this is over," he said before he hung up. "A friend of mine agreed to come and baby-sit while we sort something more long term. So, you gonna help?"

Tempest nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Where do they unload the truck, transfer the goods?"

"Ricky has a warehouse out at the docks, under a different name. That's why the cops wouldn't be able to find him. But he won't be there now."

"So where will he be?"

Tempest regarded him steadily. "He knows who you are. Both of you. This was never just about the heists, this was revenge. Where do you think he is?"

Neither man tracked what she said for a moment. They glanced at each other, and Knight saw realisation and fear cross Brian's face. It was then he also realised what she meant, both of them bolting through the door.

**End of Chapter 26…**


	27. Chapter 27: Like a Diamond Bullet

_**Chapter 27: And like a Diamond Bullet, Well its Crystal Crystal Clear**_

Karr tore back into Race Wars and screamed to a halt outside the Toretto camp, Brian jumping out before the car had stopped, Knight a second behind him as the blond sprinted towards the caravan he shared with Mia, yanking the door open.

The caravan was a mess, with obvious signs of a struggle. Knight put his hand on Brian's shoulder, and stepped back out of the caravan. The rest of the team, seeing the dramatic arrival of the two had gathered quickly, Dom pushing his way through. "What the hell is going on?"

"Mia's gone." Brian said, stepping out of the caravan.

Dom glared at him, then at Knight. "What do you mean she's gone? I want answers. Now."

"Tran was behind the heists. We interrupted the last one. He may have grabbed Mia," Knight answered, the shrill call of his cell phone ringing drew his attention. He looked at Brian questioningly and pointed at the RV Jade was using, before glancing at the phone. The number was withheld. "Karr, any chance you can trace it?"

"I'll do my best to backtrack the connection and triangulate it, but I can't guarantee that it'll work."

"Long shot huh. I'll take it," Knight told the car, and answered the phone. "Who is this?"

"I think you can guess," Ricky Tran answered mockingly. "I must say you've upset my plans Mr Knight from Knight Industries. I had planned for the cops to eventually link this to Toretto, but now you know it's me and mine, it looks like I have to disappear for a while."

"Sorry to inconvenience you. I can help you with that disappearance if you'd like to tell me where you are?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass," Tran's voice was mocking. Knight saw Brian come out the RV and mouth 'ransacked' and tried an alternative tactic. "Alright, how about you tell me where Mia and Jade are, and we'll catch up later."

"And what, we'll go for a drink? Come now. You're smarter than that."

The line went dead. Knight snapped the phone shut and reached for his ear piece. "Tell me you were able to trace that?"

"Affirmative," Karr answered. "He's at an old industrial plant an hour's drive away."

Knight grinned. "Nice work pal."

"What are we waiting for?" Dom asked. "Let's go."

"We?" Knight shook his head. "You can't. No offense, but you go charging in with revenge in mind, it'll only end badly. Let us handle it."

"You're kidding right," Vince growled. "We look after our own."

"You lay a hand on him, and you'll end up in a cell next to him."

"Maybe I should just lay a hand on you, and then we'll go deal with Tran," Vince said threateningly, taking a step forward. The Trans-am's engine roared to life, the car moving forward sharply, putting its armoured prow between the two men, its voice cold and even more threatening. "I would reconsider that action."

It was Brian that provided the voice of reason. "Dom, you have to let us handle it, otherwise we'll end up back on the LAPDs radar. You know I'll make sure Mia gets back safely, no matter what."

Dom gave both of them a hard stare, silent for several moments. "Alright, I'll play it your way."

"We'll bring them back," Knight promised. "Let's go Brian."

The two men slid easily into the Trans-am. The powerful engine roared to life, the car racing backwards into an effortless J-turn before rocketing away.

As the team watched them leave, Dom headed for his RX-7. "The hell I'm gonna play it their way."

"Right behind you Dom," Vince grunted heading for his car. Dom stopped him. "Stay here. Let me know if any of Tran's guys show up."

"But..."

"I wasn't asking," the bald man grabbed his friend by the scruff of the neck into. "I need you to keep an eye out here."

The scruffier man nodded. "Call if you need us brother."

"Gotcha," Dom agreed, then headed for the RX-7.

**

* * *

**

**An Hour Later**

* * *

Knight gunned the Trans-am's engine as they approached the plant, hurling the car at breakneck speed towards it, crashing through the fence surrounding it. Alarms sounded inside Karr, the screen flashing up warning in bright red, sparks flying over the car, across the dashboard as the sleek black and silver machine came to a stop. "What the hell? Karr, you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright," the car replied irritably. "The majority of my systems are offline, including the systems operating the car. Effectively, I'm immobilised."

"What happened?"

"A massive electrical shock, far higher voltage than any normal electric fence. This was rigged especially. Any other car would have its electrical systems completely burned out. We're lucky I'm shielded. But it'll take time before I'm operational again. I can't estimate how long."

"Great," Knight growled "Is your scanner operational, can you scan the building?"

"No," Karr replied shortly.

Knight frowned. "Alright. How do we bring your systems back online?"

"You don't," Karr answered. "I'll have to initiate a system wide restart. I estimate a sixty-three percent probability that my systems will successfully re-initialise."

"Sixty-three? Karr, if you've sustained that much damage from the shock, what are the chances that..."

"I'll cease to exist? It is a possibility. However if I don't, I won't be any use to you until I can be recovered back to headquarters and the technicians can take the time to properly restore functionality."

"Better that than you being out of here," Knight argued.

"Your concern is noted. However, it is more likely I will come back online. System shutdown started."

"What? Karr, don't do it, that's an order."

"The process cannot be stopped once initiated."

"Damnit Karr," Knight started angrily, but the AI cut him off. "Be careful. I will not be able to assist you until I'm back online."

The lights on the dashboard went dark, and the HUD faded from the windshield. "Karr?"

The AI didn't respond. Brian was giving him a perplexed look. "He's just a computer isn't he? He'll be fine, it's not like hundreds of computers lose data when they reboot."

"He's a bit more advanced than a regular computer," Knight said angrily. "If this fails..."

"He'll come back online," Brian said re-assuringly. Knight frowned. "Alright. Let's get on with it."

"Still no guns?"

"Mia's in trouble," Knight said, pulling a 9mm from the glove compartment. "All bets are off."

"Works for me," Brian answered.

The two slid out, and ran silently towards the building. They took position on opposite sides of the door. Knight tossed a quick glance at the Trans-am, before looking at Brian. "You know this is a trap right?"

"What clued you in?"

"A few things," Knight replied, quietly opening the door, preferring to sneak in, rather than blow in like SWAT teams did. "Let's go. Hopefully we'll get the drop on him."

As usual, things didn't go as planned, Tran's voice ringing out from somewhere to his right. "Both of you, get your hands up, and turn around."

Knight slowly did as he was told, turning to face Tran, with Mia gagged and hands bound behind her in front of him, and a 9mm Beretta pointed at him. By Jade. "I'm disappointed Jewel. I was hoping I was wrong."

"Be quiet," she told him coldly. Tran's smile was all but threatening. "Put the guns down slowly, and kick them over here."

Knight hesitated, and Tran put his gun to Mia's head. "Put them down, and kick em over here, or I put a bullet in your head."

Brian put his gun down and kicked it across the floor. Knight tensed slightly, aiming carefully. The Asian pushed his Beretta against Mia's temple. "Drop it."

Knight reluctantly put the gun down, kicked it over to Tran, glowering as the punk gave him a superior smirk, as he picked the weapon up. "I'll just hold onto this for a while."

"Sure, I'll get it back later."

"We'll see. This way," Tran said, motioning with the Beretta for him to move.

The sound of a shotgun being cocked echoed through the building. "Right here is fine."

Dom stepped out of the shadows, aiming the shotgun at Tran. Tran span around, pulling Mia tight up against him. "You won't shoot me through your sister."

Knight took the opening, shoving Jade quickly to the side and lunging at Tran. The next few seconds were a blur as Tran shoved Mia towards Dominic, keeping her in the line of fire while quickly turning towards Knight. Knight tackled him, the two of them hitting the ground hard. A gunshot rang out, a masculine grunt. Brian yelling Dom's name as the two men fought, before a gun was pressed to the back of his head.

"Let him go."

Knight stood slowly, backing away. He quickly took in what had happened, Dom was on the ground, red slowly staining the white vest he wore, Brian trying to stem the flow of blood with his knee while trying to free a panicked looking Mia's hands. Tran slowly picked himself back up, blood dripping from the side of his mouth. "Thank you Jade."

The Asian picked his gun back. "Now let's try this again shall we? Pick him up, and all of you, move."

Knight moved over to Brian, the two of them lifting Dom to his feet, Brian pressing down on the wound. Tran motioned them deeper into the building and to the right, towards a heavy metal door. "In there. That should keep you out of the way. It'll be a while before anyone finds you here. Gives us plenty of time to disappear."

Knight didn't move, till Tran cocked the weapon. "I said get in there."

Knight moved into the room slowly helping Brian support Dom. While he'd never seen one in person, he'd seen a couple of various TV shows to recognise the room as a temperature controlled meat locker. Tran shut the door behind them, a loud clunk ringing through the room, as it was locked. He couldn't do anything about Tran right now, but right now he had bigger concerns as they settled Dom down, and quickly went for his communicator. "Karr? Karr, can you hear me?"

No reply was forthcoming over the ear-piece as he examined the makeshift prison. "Between a rock and a hard place," Knight muttered to himself. "That's just great."

**End of Chapter 2****7…**


	28. Chapter 28: 10 seconds flat

_Usual disclaimers apply. Still having a few problems with my laptop which is holding things up. Regardless of that, the next one is ready. Thanks again to Tempest for use of her characters, and for fixing my mistakes during the beta reading. Thanks to everyone for the reviews - and thanks to fort lawrence for the heads up, I'll have to go back and fix that mistake. lilnudger, I do have ideas for 2 sequels, one will be more heavily Knight Rider based, and focus on Karr's history, the bond between him and his driver, and the second will be an attempt to incorporate Fast and Furious into this merging of the two universes. Hope you all enjoy the latest chapter!_

_**Chapter 28: I'll be there in 10 seconds flat, I got your back, I'll be there just in time to counter-act**_

The world was dark. No light, no sound, no feel.

Karr hated being shut down. Knight Industries had never realised that the AI's were still aware when they were supposedly shut down. He remembered every second of his original incarceration in lab three over twenty years go.

Seconds ticked by. For an AI, it was a lifetime. For a moment the small part of the AI that was aware wondered if attempting to reboot had a mistake.

The thought was discarded as a small point of white appeared in the blackness. The whiteness expanded and began flashing. The AI 'reached' for the light with a sense of relief. The white point became input as the supercar came online, the AI returning to full awareness as sensor data rushed in, sound, colour, sonar, even the sensation of the sunlight against the smooth black skin of the car. Karr basked for just a second in the data pouring in, and then focused on locating his partner. The twin scanner bars recessed in the hood flared brightly, before the gold bands began pulsing back and forth. If the AI had been capable of frowning, it would have. There was no sign of any presences in the building or the surrounding area. A second, deeper scan of the building revealed a heavily metal lined room, drawing power and coolant. The AI switched to infra-red and scanned a third time, finally picking up heat sources in the same room. His primary goal achieved, Karr activated his self-diagnostics and started the engine. A powerful rumble ran through the car as the engine came to life. The gas pedal pressed to the floor, the car leaping forward and smashing through the wall into the plant.

* * *

"So how do we get out here?"

"I'm working on it," Knight replied tersely, examining the door closely. Only slightly rusted, no help there. He turned back to Brian and Mia. "How's he doing?"

"He needs medical attention," Mia replied, her voice calm, with an undercurrent of worry. "Where's Karr? Can't he bust us out?"

Knight exchanged a look with Brian. "They had the fence rigged. It generated enough power to blow Karr's systems, effectively immobilising him. He was attempting to reboot himself when we came in here."

"Well, that's good isn't it?"

"It is if works, and doesn't traumatise him," Knight muttered.

Brian's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Traumatise?"

"Long story."

"It can wait till you get us out of here," Dom coughed, trying to stand up, and being forced back down by Mia and Brian.

"Are you an idiot? You'll do more damage trying to stand," Mia exclaimed, giving her brother an exasperated look. Dom relinquished, and gave Brian a look.

"Help him find a way out." The detective looked around quickly.

"No windows, and one door, locked from the other side. If you have any ideas, I'm open to them." Dom gave him a look that suggested the Italian was annoyed and amused at the same time.

"If I didn't have a bullet in me, I'd smack you upside the head."

"Kind of what I was counting on," Brian grinned. He realised that Knight had stayed quiet throughout the exchange and glanced over to see the other man studying the glass portal in the door, and in particular the frame around it. "You won't get through that. And even if you could, you couldn't reach the mechanism."

"Maybe," Knight replied, then looked at the ceiling. "What if we could get one of those pipes down. Try to freeze the pane, or the frame. Or the hinges. Something we can break?"

"Even if you could, what would you break it with?"

"We'd think of something," Knight replied, turning his attention back to the glass. "But I don't think that will be necessary."

* * *

The wall broke easily, dust billowing and shattered brick swept aside in the Trans-am's wake as it entered the factory. The car slammed on the brakes, and span around through a 270 degree turn, the back end kicking out slightly as the car pointed its nose at the cool room. The scanners swept back and forth, the car spotting its driver's face through the class. The AI quickly ran through calculations. When he had the answer, the back wheels began to spin rapidly, building up power. The car's back end began to twist around, smoke rising from the tyres.

* * *

Knight's eyes widened as the car's rear began sliding around behind it, smoke rising from the tyres. "Karr, no... Karr, don't do it!" He quickly moved to the others, nodding at Dom. "Brian." He started to hoist Toretto to his feet, Brian quickly joining him.

"What's going on?"

"We want to be as far from that wall as we can get."

"Wh...oh."

"Yeah, oh," Knight confirmed as they set Dom down against the far wall, Mia quickly kneeling besides him, checking his wound. Knight shrugged off his jacket. "Cover the wound, quickly."

He jogged back to the door and glanced out just in time to see the car lunge towards them, and quickly dived away. "Oh shi..." The rest of the sentence was lost under the sound of concrete shattering and tortured metal screeching, pipes split and sheet metal ripping as Karr's sleek black and silver form smashed through the wall, a cloud of dust sweeping over the room as the Trans-am came to a stop, it's golden scanners casting an eerie glow as it rippled back and forth in a fashion Knight could only describe as self-satisfied.

"Are you alright?"

"Just great pal," Knight coughed, standing up and scrambling to the car. "Call the paramedics, Dom's hurt. We need to get after them."

"Yes, I'm fine, tearing through a steel reinforced concrete wall with a layer of pipe work didn't hurt or do me any damage."

"Sorry," Knight replied ruefully. "Are you alright?" Karr made a disgusted noise. "Of course I am. It would just have been nice to be asked."

"Well, you are supposed to be impervious to damage," Knight replied, sliding into the driver's seat. A quick glance told him that Brian was staying with his family. A quick nod between the two confirmed it. "Let's go get em pal."

The sleek Trans-am shot backwards and spun around, heading back out the way it came in. The car hurtled onto the road, fishtailing as it turned and accelerated rapidly. Knight's face was tight with concentration. "Hack into the street cams, see if you can find them."

"Unfortunately some of my systems and programs are still offline," Karr replied. "I'm trying to bring them online, but it'll take time."

Knight suddenly realised how little consideration he'd shown his partner. "Are you alright? Can I help?"

"No." Karr replied coolly. "There isn't anything you can do. I am alright, my vital systems are functioning. It is additional functions that are offline. The worst I can report is that my sensors have been damaged. I suspect that some of the arrays have blown. They are currently working at seventy-nine percent of optimal. It is not preventing me from operating."

"Alright," Knight patted the dashboard reassuringly. "I have an idea where we can pick up their trail."

"Oh?"

Knight smirked faintly, and pushed the gas pedal to the floor, pushed back in the seat as the car rocketed forward.

* * *

Lance was alone at the garage, making sure everything was clear of fingerprints before he left, when he heard what sounded like the rumble of distant thunder. He frowned slightly, looking up at the skylight to see the blazing sun shining through it, confused, but not for long. The sound of a sharp impact made him whip his head around, time seeming to slow as cracks forming a spiders web spread across the wall, before the wall caved inwards, to allow the sharp nosed, sleek form of the black and silver Trans-am through it, the golden bars rippling back and forth malevolently as the car smashed into his cousins NSX and shoved it aside, the once sleek body work crumpling under the impact. Lance noticed none of that as he dived away, running under the hydraulic lift towards the back door as the Trans-am skidded around, then smashed through the lift hydraulics, the metal shrieking as it bent and snapped, dropping the Honda 2000 on top off to one side, rolling onto its roof, bathed in sparks from the broken hydraulics as the Trans-am skidded round to block the exit. Lance skidded to a halt on his trainers and sprinted in the opposite direction. The Trans-am roared past him and slid to a halt in front of him. The Asian couldn't stop in time, rolling up on the Trans-am's hood, sliding off and running from the sleek car, trying for the back exit a second time. Once again, the car got in his way, forcing him to leap on a stack of wooden pallets to avoid being hit. The car backed up sharply, blocking his exit, then accelerated sharply, pressing him against a wall, its driver stepping out.

"Where are they?" Lance glared at him, refusing to answer, and Knight shook his head slightly. "Wise guy huh? Karr, would you?"

The Trans-am gunned the engine, making Lance pale, but he refused to say anything. The car jolted forward sharply, making Lance press himself further into the wall as the Trans-am kept its engine roaring threateningly.

"Ready to talk yet?" Knight asked, struggling to keep amusement from showing on his face as he decided Karr was a little sadistic. Lance just glared at him in response, earning a shrug. "Karr."

The machine moved forward sharply again, engine roaring as it halted again. Knight glanced at Lance expectantly, and tapped the Trans-am's roof. Karr moved forward sharply, his nose pressed against Lance's legs. "I won't ask again."

"They're heading for the Marina, the South California Marine," Lance told him quickly. "He's got a boat there." Knight smiled.

"Thank you," he answered before he slapped a handcuff around Lance's wrist and secured him to a nearby metal pipe that looked solid. He slipped into Karr's driver seat. "You've got a serious mean streak, you know that pal?"

"It worked didn't it?" Karr replied coldly, and unapologetically. Knight just grinned.

"Tell the cops to come pick this guy up. Let's go finish the game. Plot an intercept course and give me everything you've got." then hurled the Trans-am backwards, spinning it through a J-turn and taking off with a squeal of tyres.

**End of Chapter**** 28...**


	29. Chapter 29: Ride of our Lives

_Apologies for the long delay between chapters - real life had other ideas I'm afraid. The usual disclaimers apply. Thanks again to Tempest for use of her characters, and for fixing my mistakes during the beta reading. Thanks to everyone for the reviews - Hope you all enjoy the latest chapter!_

_**Chapter 29: Drive this road with the pedal to the floor, We're gonna go for the ride of our lives**_

The red and white Mustang cruised down Terminal Way, slowly enough not to draw any additional attention to the striking automobile, but swiftly enough that its occupants felt certain there was no chance of being stopped before they reached the Marina. The wheels bounced slightly as it crossed the railroad tracks at Earle Street. Just before they reached the intersection for Barracuda street, caught a blur of motion in the corner of her eyes, looking at the wing mirror, then twisting in disbelief to look out of the Mustang's rear window as the black and silver Trans-am skidded out of Earle street and onto Terminal Way, the back end skipping out as it did so. "I don't believe it."

"Believe what?" Tran snapped.

"It's Knight, he's behind us!" Jade yelled at him.

"That's impossible," Tran snarled, hitting the gas pedal.

"Yeah, well, impossible is behind us and approaching at about ninety miles an hour!" Jade screamed at him.

"Let's see him keep up with this," Tran muttered, hitting the nitrous, sending the Mustang hurtling down the long, straight road.

"You get the feeling they aren't happy to see us?" Knight muttered sardonically.

"Must be your natural ability to make friends and influence people."

"Thanks," Knight rolled his eyes and stepped on the gas. "Let's show them what you can really do."

The pitch of the car's engine changed, becoming deeper and more aggressive, the twin gold scanners rapidly pacing back and forth on the car's hood as it rapidly gained on the Mustang.

A turning truck forced both cars onto Tuna street, the Mustang swerving back and forth to keep the Trans-am behind it, before spinning into a ninety-degree turn onto Cannery Street. Karr matched the move, roaring up alongside. The Mustang swerved towards the sleek black machine, forcing the Knight Industries vehicle to hit the brakes to avoid being forced into a parked Tractor, hitting the gas again to stay on the Mustang's tail as it swerved back and forth, blocking the Trans-am as it tried to pass.

"You think he's realised that we're toying with them yet?"

"No," Karr replied.

"Me either," Knight smirked. "Time to come clean."

Karr's acknowledgement was three simple words. "Activating Turbo boost."

The sleek black and silver predator raced up on the Mustang's rear end, then with a powerful roar and a whoosh of air, leapt over the car in its way, landing with a thud, and some sparks as the armoured undercarriage scraped the asphalt. The sleek supercar roared further down the road, putting distance between it and the Mustang, before spinning around and tearing down the road straight at the slower car, then twisted, the back end sliding out, the sleek car sliding along the road. Tran swore and yanked the Mustang's steering wheel to the left. The white muscle car swerved, leaving the road, narrowly missing a street light and bouncing over the rough ground, long dry grass and dried out bushes before coming to a halt. The Trans-am followed it off the road as the two occupants got out, the first running, long dark hair caught in the wind behind her. The other began spraying the Trans-am with bullets from an Uzi, bullets bouncing harmlessly off the menacing dark vehicle, the twin fiery bars on the hood sweeping madly. The Uzi started to click uselessly, the spray of bullets halting as the weapon expended the last of its ammunition. The Asian snarled and flung the empty weapon at the car in a last act of defiance before he also broke into a run.

Knight flung the car door open as Tran started his run. "I've got him, you get her."

"Are you sure?"

"Karr!"

"As you wish."

The car door closed and the Trans-am accelerated away, Knight yelling "Be gentle!" after the vehicle as he ran around the rear of the car, in pursuit of Tran.

* * *

Jade looked behind her as she ran, the black and silver car bouncing over the rough surface in pursuit, clouds of dust billowing behind it. She doubled her efforts, running harder. It was futile and she knew it as the car flew past her, spinning round in a huge cloud of dust, the dual scanners pulsing rapidly back and forth. She switched directions, running back the way she'd came, the car tearing past her again. There was a flash of red lights as the car slammed on the brakes, sound of tyres sliding over gravel as the car span around, the back end kicking around the car, the car almost completing a full circle, the rear quarter hitting the brunette and knocking her to the floor. The AI quickly ran a scan, no broken bones and out cold, though the young woman would doubtless be sore when she woke up. The AI's voice modulator approximated a snort. "Gentle indeed."

Knight ran hard, slowly gaining ground on Tran, launching himself into the air into a tackle that took both men to the ground, rolling around in the cloud of dust they kicked up. Knight rolled to his feet, coughing from the dust. He quickly made for Tran, receiving a foot to the sternum, rocking him backwards, and winding him. Tran got to his feet, and assumed a ready stance that Knight recognised as martial arts, groaning inwardly. He tried to think about what Mike had shown him, but he wasn't confident that he was as good at it as he'd need to be if Tran was as good as he appeared to be. Mike had tried to teach him the basics, and he had learnt a few things, but he wasn't sure it would be enough. He dodged quickly as Tran snapped a front kick at him. "You know you're just encouraging the stereotype right?"

The Asian ignored him and snapped a roundhouse at his head. Knight ducked under, then snapped a kick to Tran's back. The other man staggered, caught off guard. Knight tried to take advantage, snapping a kick to the gut, and locking Tran in a headlock, trying to bring him down quickly. It didn't work as well as he'd hoped, catching an elbow to the rib, before Tran slung him over his shoulder and to the floor. Knight impacted hard, his right shoulder taking the initial impact, his back taking the rest. Tran stomped his foot down, intending to bring it down on Knight but he rolled out of the way, kicking Tran's feet out from underneath him and quickly rolled to his feet.

Tran was back on his just as quickly, and attacking again, Knight struggling to either avoid or block them, and land attacks of his own as they circled around, continually taunting Tran to provoke him. It was slow, but it worked, Tran's attacks getting angrier and less controlled, swinging a roundhouse punch at Knight's jaw. Knight ducked and lunged forward, taking them both off their feet. They rolled in the dust, both men getting to their knees, Tran swinging a wild punch at the agent. Knight blocked then slammed his elbow into Tran's jaw, sending the Asian spinning to the floor.

Knight grabbed the other mans arm, pulling it behind his back and hauled him to his feet, dragging him over to the car's passenger door. "Karr, do the honours."

The car window opened slightly, then wound back up after Knight had put Tran's wrists through them, closing tightly. Tran glared at him. "You'll never make this stick."

Knight bounced his head off the Trans-am's roof. "How much would you like to bet on that?"

"Have you charged for police brutality," Tran sneered. "Thanks to that, I'll be out before you know it."

Knight snorted. "Don't bet on it. I'm not a cop. But they are," he nodded in the direction of the oncoming sirens. "And I will bet they're going to be very eager to speak to you."

**End of Chapter 29...**


	30. Epilogue: Just Drive

_Apologies for the long delay again.  
Usual disclaimers apply, I don't own Knight Rider (any incarnation), or the Fast and the Furious franchise. No profit has been made from this.  
__Thanks again to Tempest for use of her characters, and for fixing my mistakes during the beta reading. I'd also like to thank everyone for reading - from the numbers and emails saying its been followed, I'm glad to see people enjoying it - hopefully you all agree with me that this is better than the original version. Certainly I'm happier with it!  
Special thanks to those who have also taken the time to review the story as well - Hope you all enjoy the latest chapter!_

_**Epilogue: Just Drive**_

It felt good to be doing something so normal, Knight decided as he sat in the Toretto family den, ignoring the discomfort his cracked ribs caused as he and the rest of the team sat camped in front of the widescreen TV. Someone had found a cult movie channel showing 'Pitch Black' and with nothing else on offer, the team had elected to watch. Currently Riddick battled William J Johns in a circle of faint green light, surrounded by nocturnal predators, the camera closed on Riddick's face for a moment, his eyes shining in the darkness.

"Those eyes are cool," Dom said aloud. "I want some."

"Wouldn't be much good in LA Dom," Vince gruffly, Brian adding. "I don't know. They'd be good for street racing."

"With all the headlights and neon around?" Kat asked. "Don't think so."

"You guys mind, I'm trying to watch this," Jesse complained, ducking his head away as Leon ruffled his hair in the way older brothers do, then laughing as Vince answered an affirmative to Mia's question about more popcorn. "Coyote's hungry again."

"He's always hungry," Letty chuckled, tossing popcorn at Leon before sitting forward exclaiming. "Cool!" as Riddick tossed the bounty hunter into the darkness, the camera changing to the purple colour that was 'through Riddick's eyes' as he watched the alien predators tearing Johns apart, before turning and leaving to catch up with the rest of the survivors. Knight just smiled softly to himself, enjoying the team's antics as Mia settled down on the sofa arm next to Brian. "How are you doing?"

"Perfect aside from the cracked ribs," Knight answered. "Beats a bullet in the shoulder anyway."

"Not funny," Dom grunted, chucking a beer cap at him.

"It is actually," Kat said. "Especially as it means you won't be racing for a while."

"I'll be back on the street in days," Dom retorted.

"If you say so," Kat chuckled, popping popcorn in her mouth, before addressing Knight. "So what's gonna happen to Tempest?"

"Cut a deal with her. She helped me out, and she's gonna testify against Tran, in return they're not pressing charges against her for her part in the hijackings. They want to get her for a few other things, but since I refused to press charges, they can't."

"What about after she testifies?" Nyssa asked. "Will she have to go into witness protection?"

Knight shrugged. "I don't know. Not really sure that's an option with her. She's too much of a wildcat, she'd probably end up blowing her new identity. Whatever she does, I think is probably up to her. I'm not so hot on that side of things. Other people will work that out."

His watch chirped before any more questions could be asked. "What's up pal?"

"Michael's calling."

Knight's heart sank slightly "I'll be right out."

A few minutes later, he slid into the Trans-am. "What's up Michael?"

"_Good work out there. You handled yourself well, both of you._"

"Thanks boss," Knight replied quietly, suspecting what would come next. "If you could just leave it at that, that'd be great."

"_I used to feel that way sometimes_," Michael chuckled. "_Take a couple more days to relax, then head in. We've got a new case to talk about. See you in a few days._"

"Yeah," Knight muttered as the screen went blank. Karr was silent, as he slipped out of the Trans-am and closed the door softly, standing in the driveway.

"What's wrong?"

Knight shook his head and snorted softly. "Nothing's wrong pal. Actually everything's just right. Get some rest partner."

Knight patted the car's roof gently and headed back inside. The Trans-am's scanners rippled. "I'll never understand humans."

* * *

A couple of days later, the team's cars were lined up by the side of the road, with the exception of Dom's as his arm was still in a slight. Knight was making his farewells to the team, exchanging gruff nods with Vince, bumping fists with Leon and Jesse, hugs with Nyssa and Kat, and Mia, plus a kiss on the cheek from her. Brian shook his head slightly as Knight approached. "Been here before bro."

"Yeah man," Knight allowed. "This time it won't be so long. LA is home now, it's where we're based from. I'll be around."

"Cool, it's been great having you around, reminds me of some of the stuff we pulled back in Miami."

"Stay cool man, and look after the Skyline. And don't do anything stupid to make Dom kill your ass bro," Knight grinned as he and Brian locked hands and shared a manly embrace, slapping each other's backs before Knight moved on, bumping fists with Letty and giving her a nod of respect. "Karr's gonna miss you."

"Likewise," Letty grinned, rubbing her hand over Karr's bodywork as Knight looked at Dom. "I can see why Brian respects you so much. It's been an honour Dom. And thanks for your help," he looked back at the others quickly. "All of you."

"Anytime," Dom replied, shaking his hand. "Sorry I can't take one more run with you. Next time."

Knight grinned. "Damn straight," and climbed into Karr, and starting the Trans-am.

The sound of another car starting drew his attention, and he looked up to see Brian grinning at him from the Skyline. "Dom might not be able to give you one more race, but I can."

Knight grinned and nodded, the two cars lining up next to each other at the stoplight as the rest of the team got into their cars. It'd be a quick sprint from the stoplight to the road leading out of town, into the desert, about half a mile to the next signpost, next to a café at the side of the road according to the route maps.

As the light changed, the Skyline took off with a squeal of tyres. Knight grinned. "Let him have his moment Karr."

He kept the Trans-am just behind the Skyline as the cars headed out of town, ignoring the horns as the rest of the team urged them on, looking over as Letty drew next to them, Dom leaning out the window. "You know this is a race right?"

Knight grinned and pressed the gas lightly. The sleek black car pushed forward, pulling alongside to the right of the silver Nissan. Knight looked over at his friend and lowered the window, honking the horn to get Brian's attention. Brian looked over at him, and lowered his window. Knight flashed him a grin. "Straight ahead pal."

The Trans-am's engine roared, and with a burst of power and thrust the super-car rocketed forward, surging away from the Skyline, kicking up dust behind it as they left LA shrinking behind in the rear-view mirror.

_**The End**_


End file.
